Le Figaro Nantes
The subject animated the beginning of the last city council of Nantes, on December 9.
However, it was not on the agenda.
The object of the discord?
Recruitment of municipal police officers.
A theme put on the table by the right and center opposition which has a habit of stepping up to the plate on this subject.
Here is the finding: of the 120 new positions promised by PS mayor Johanna Rolland by the end of her second term in 2026, there have been 42 recruitments so far.
A figure from which 15 departures must be removed for various reasons.
This gives a net balance of 27 filled posts.
“Opening positions is not enough. Reinforcements are needed
, ”criticizes
the opponent Julien Bainvel (LR) with Le
Figaro .
In this, he points to a
"real lack of attractiveness"
of the Nantes municipal police.
Besides
"the image of the city which has deteriorated in recent weeks"
, for him nothing will change
"as long as the police are not armed"
.
A fight that is not new in the ranks of the Nantes right.
“Quieter towns or towns which have authorized the carrying of arms, such as La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, have no difficulty in recruiting,”
he believes.
Possession of lethal weapons and wages
A statement shared by Laurent Desgens, secretary general of the FO municipal police section in Nantes.
His union has been campaigning for the right to carry a lethal weapon for several years.
Another source of grievance in his eyes: the low wages offered.
“The municipality does not give itself the means to recruit”
, he slices, citing
“varied”
bonuses depending on the agents and a
“lack of transparency”
on this subject.
According to its figures, at the start of 2023, there will be five departures against three arrivals in the workforce:
“Salaries do not encourage you to stay.
It is possible to have the same remuneration in quieter municipalities.
»
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With his colleagues, they have already gone on strike to denounce
“a lack of recognition”
.
Some would be ready to do it again at the end of the year.
Laurent Desgens prefers to temporize and plans a new mobilization at the beginning of 2023 if
“nothing changes”
.
For this trade unionist who confesses to being fed up with
“broken promises”,
potential reinforcements may take a while.
“We are very far from the account in relation to the commitments.
Nothing will change as long as the situation of the agents does not evolve, ”
he summarizes.
Recruitment on the go
The municipality does not hide the current recruitment difficulties, but puts them in a global context.
“It's the same thing in several cities in France.
Many of my counterparts share this observation”
, retorts Aïcha Bassal, the deputy in charge of human resources at the City of Nantes.
For her, the
“economic situation”
does not help:
“Many cities have opened positions at the same time, so the offers are multiple.
And since the health crisis linked to Covid, there have been no competitions organized.
»
Read alsoFight against crime in Nantes: “encouraging” results according to the prefecture
In order to adapt to this situation, the city of Nantes says it has changed its process for recruiting municipal police officers.
He wants to be more flexible.
Exit the first passage in front of a jury gathered over determined periods.
From now on, the interviews are done over the water.
"As soon as a person applies, we meet them to see if their profile meets expectations"
, indicates to
Figaro
the elected representative of the majority.
On the other hand, one point is not about to change: the refusal to provide the municipal police of Nantes with a lethal weapon.
“We assume this choice
,” says Aïcha Bassal bluntly.
Critics deemed “demagogic”
On the political level, she judges the criticisms emanating from the opposition of the right and the center
“demagogic”
.
The majority
"is not in denial of the security difficulties in Nantes",
she believes, repeatedly castigating the
"lies"
of the opposing camp about
"a legitimate expectation on the part of the inhabitants"
.
It bases its analysis on the recruitments already made and the implementation of video surveillance in town.
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“When Johanna Rolland was elected in 2014, there were no cameras in Nantes. Within a year, there will be 200,”
says Aïcha Bassal.
A mayor, who at the last city council, recalled that the timetable set when signing the integrated security contract with the Ministry of the Interior still leaves her teams three years to fill the positions.
She nevertheless recognized that efforts in this area would have to be
“amplified”
.
