In a few hours this weekend, a young gendarme was killed by a man who was trying to escape traffic control in Lot-et-Garonne and a bus driver was beaten up in Bayonne (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) and left for dead. A tragic glimpse of the daily life that awaits Gérald Darmanin from now on.
At 37, this close friend of Nicolas Sarkozy converted to macronism therefore moved to Place Beauvau when the police house rocked. As soon as he was appointed, he reacted as follows on Twitter: "It is a great honor for the immigrant grandson that I am to be appointed Minister of the Interior of our beautiful country". A way of underlining the ever-difficult link between the police and the gendarmerie and the population. This perpetual balance between support and distrust.
It is a great honor for the immigrant grandson that I am to be appointed Minister of the Interior of our beautiful country.
Thank you to Christophe Castaner who led a courageous and determined action in the service of the protection of our fellow citizens.
Suspicions of racism, cases of corruption, the "blues" are manhandled, but also feel more and more exposed and especially released by their hierarchy. This is what undoubtedly cost Christophe Castaner's place. And forced the new Prime Minister, Jean Castex, to a crop, Sunday evening during a surprise visit to the police station of La Courneuve (Seine-Saint-Denis) saying to the police: "You are waiting for acts, they will come . You also expect recognition and support, they will be flawless. "
"The discomfort is great" among the police
Gérald Darmanin's road map is therefore clear. Especially with a social return which promises to be hot and new events to be planned. The powerful police unions already have their hands on their belts: "There is great unease and we will judge it by the acts, warns Fabien Vanhemelryck, secretary general of Alliance, the first peacekeepers' union in the country. address of the new Minister. Flawless support is essential and the improvement of working conditions must be immediate. […] The task is great, social dialogue must be constructive and the obligation of real result. "
Patrice Ribeiro, of the Synergie Officiers union, sees a “double advantage” at the choice of Gérald Darmanin: “He has the ear of the president and he comes from Bercy [Editor's note: he was Minister of Action and Public Accounts under governments Philippe] . The political weight combined with the knowledge of the mysteries of the Budget can enable arbitration to be won. "
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Among the commissioners too, the expectation is great: "We want a very rapid contact, says David le Bars, secretary general of the national union of police commissioners, and especially his intention concerning the white paper on internal security which relates many substantive and urgent subjects to adapt the police to challenges and threats. So get to work quickly with him. "
Affected by a rape complaint
And work, Gérald Darmanin will not fail. Terrorist threats, law enforcement strategy, police-population relationship… Less than two years before a presidential election, these subjects can quickly become sensitive, even hot and heavy for the palace located just opposite Place Beauvau . Not to mention that he started his mission with judicial information for "rape" that hovers over his head. Open less than a month ago, it follows a first complaint, which was dismissed in 2018 and finally relaunched at the request of the Court of Cassation. The facts, which he has always denied and which are denounced by a woman, date back to 2009 when he was in charge of legal issues at the UMP.
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By naming him the first cop in France, Emmanuel Macron and Jean Castex therefore seem to have given little credit to this procedure. A sign of confidence in a minister who will also be at the crossroads of all inquiries and judicial affairs in the country. And at this crossroads, Gérald Darmanin will also have to watch from all sides.