“If this woman had not had the serious danger phone (TGD), she would have been killed.”
For Ernestine Ronai, president of the Observatory of violence against women in Seine-Saint-Denis, the drama which unfolded in Noisy-le-Grand on February 7 is a new illustration of the
“unpredictability of violent men and the effectiveness of the TGD”
which she launched 15 years ago with the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office to protect victims, she testifies to Le
Figaro
.
Wednesday evening, a 24-year-old woman triggered her phone in serious danger when her ex-partner, a man identified as dangerous by the courts, knocked on her door despite the ban on contacting her, imposed by the courts. .
The alert sent by the TGD triggered the intervention of the nearest police crew, who found themselves confronted by an armed man.
“In circumstances that the investigation will have to determine, the individual used a firearm towards the two police officers who responded by shooting each twice
,” the Bobigny prosecutor’s office underlined this Thursday in a press release.
The man, aged 26, died from his injuries.
Already convicted in 2019 for violence against a previous partner, he was once again the subject of legal proceedings for
“habitual violence”
against his ex-partner of 24 years.
Summoned to court for immediate appearance on January 21, the young man was placed under judicial supervision with a ban on appearing at the complainant's home, pending a new hearing set for June 5.
“A serious danger telephone had been urgently handed over by the prosecution to protect the victim
,” indicates the Bobigny public prosecutor.
2,455 alarms triggered in 2022
Launched in 2009 on an experimental basis in Seine-Saint-Denis then generalized throughout France in 2014, this tool is assigned by public prosecutors in the event of serious and imminent danger threatening a victim of domestic violence.
In 2022, 3,556 TGDs were distributed to women in situations of danger and 2,455 alarms were triggered, compared to 1,185 in 2020, indicates the Chancellery to Le
Figaro
.
Last year, 5,500 telephones were distributed throughout France's public prosecutor's offices in order to anticipate and respond to the demand for protection.
A laudable effort but which deserves to be further strengthened with
“at least 7,500 TGDs made available to the courts”
, estimates Ernestine Ronai.
Concretely, when a woman reports the abuse of her spouse or ex-spouse to an association, a psychologist, a state service or directly to a police station, the latter refer it to the public prosecutor's office in their jurisdiction.
An assessment of the danger is carried out with regard to
“the isolation and vulnerability of the victim and the profile of the attacker: has he already been convicted for similar acts?
What is his psychiatric condition?
Is he in possession of weapons?
, lists the president of the Observatory of violence against women of Seine-Saint-Denis.
A process which sometimes proves too long, regrets Isabelle Decosterd, director of France Victimes en Charente.
“This attribution should be automatic for the woman who reports violence.
We should automatically take into consideration their feeling of insecurity
,” she maintains in Le
Figaro,
however praising
“the effectiveness of the system”
.
A platform accessible 24 hours a day
The serious danger telephone is allocated for a period of six months, renewable at all stages of the procedure: during the investigation phase or after the sentence has been pronounced.
However, it is necessary, beforehand, that the alleged attacker be subject to a removal order so that a TGD can be granted to the victim, according to the code of criminal procedure.
At the same time, a local reference association supports the victim to support them in their procedures, such as changing accommodation.
When she considers herself in danger, the TGD holder can press a small button on the side of the telephone box which puts her in direct contact with a remote assistance service accessible at any time of the day or night.
When called, the platform assesses the seriousness of the situation: if it does not require the intervention of the police, the tele-assistor refers the victim to the association through which they are being monitored.
In the event of serious and imminent danger, the alert is transmitted to the police and gendarmerie services.
“The TGD is geolocated, the nearest crew is dispatched to the site. On average, they intervene in four minutes
,” emphasizes Ernestine Ronai.
“When we are called for this type of intervention, we know that we are going to be dealing with a violent man.
However, it is very rare for these individuals to be armed.
A case like that of Noisy-le-Grand is not commonplace
,” comments Reda Belhaj, spokesperson for the Unité SGP Police union in Île-de-France.
The two police officers who were injured during the intervention in Noisy-le-Grand are
“extremely shocked”
.
The officer injured in the arm was operated on this Thursday and his life is no longer in danger, the union representative tells us.