"Municipal police officers are on the front line in the face of daily violence"

Philippe Tabarot is senator of the Alpes-Maritimes and regional advisor, South Region.

Ensuring the safety of the French is a fundamental duty of the State.

But faced with the extreme spread of threats and violence, we have known for a long time that he is no longer able to do it alone, despite the courage and dedication of the Police and Gendarmes who carry out their missions with too little. means and in very difficult conditions.

The daily security of the French is also based on a third pillar whose importance has grown steadily in recent years: that of the municipal police.

In saying this, we are aware that we are running up against many mistaken beliefs and received ideas.

But it is precisely urgent to get out of unjust and unfounded caricature visions.

The municipal police officers are very well prepared for their missions.

Their integrity is constantly monitored and they undergo some of the most demanding initial training, also with continuing training requirements, without which they cannot perform their duties.

Let us remember that the municipal police officers were the first to intervene to neutralize the ignoble terrorist responsible for the attack on the Basilica of Nice.

We also affirm that they are much more than municipal agents.

Gone are the days of the amiable roadmender who only ensured compliance with municipal decrees and pasted posters.

The 24,000 municipal police officers in France are administrative police officers, but also deputy judicial police officers, under the authority of the OPJs and the Public Prosecutors.

Almost sixty percent are armed and their missions are of great importance to our security.

They intervene in all daily disputes.

They fight against incivility and violence, protect vulnerable people, ensure that everyone's tranquility is respected, and enforce the health rules so important in this period of pandemic.

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Like the police and the gendarmes, they are above all on the front line because they protect schools, nurseries, markets, places of worship….

They work on urban rodeos, street fights, squats in building halls, road checks ...

Let us remember that the municipal police officers were the first to intervene to neutralize the ignoble terrorist responsible for the attack on the Basilica of Nice.

They are confronted with violence every day and not a week goes by that we do not learn that they are mourning one injured and sometimes one dead in their ranks.

So, it is time for their commitment to be revalued and for us to give them more recognition and more means to protect themselves and to protect us.

In this sense, the current review of the Global Security bill looks like a missed opportunity.

An appointment missed because the few progress it brings concerning the municipal police are quite insufficient.

The law gives them too little power and it lacks clarity.

Criminalists are well aware that legal debates over their real prerogatives are insoluble.

Experimentation with extended powers for municipal police could have been good news, but it fails for lack of ambition.

For lack of political courage, the promised revolution will only be paper.

As surprising as it may seem, municipal police officers are prohibited from knowing with whom they are dealing when the offense committed does not fall within their powers ...

We thus denounce the stubborn refusal to support our amendment to simply allow municipal police officers, under the authority of an OPJ, to identify - and not to control - the identity of an individual suspected of having committed an offense.

Because yes, as surprising as it may seem, municipal police officers are forbidden to know who they are dealing with when the offense committed does not fall within their powers ...

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Some find it more logical to ask them to put this individual in their car to bring him to the police station, sometimes in another city in order to present him to an OPJ who can then check his identity ...

It is a total absurdity which leads to endanger the population, the municipal police officers and then the OPJ itself.

Common sense thus comes up against prejudices and fears once again.

This reluctance of the government is akin to a mistrust that is very unwelcome in the current context.

How many more tragedies will it take for us to finally send a message of confidence and support to our municipal police, which so deserve it?