It is at the former Saint Roch hospital in Nice, site of a future "police hotel", that the head of state Emmanuel Macron, almost presidential candidate, held this Monday to defend his record and its plans beyond 2022 on security, a subject at the heart of the campaign.
He notably announced a bill covering 15 billion euros over five years, presented next March to deputies.
Police force, street harassment, violence against elected officials: update on its announcements.
"Doubling the number of police officers on the ground"
Emmanuel Macron reiterated his goal of wanting to "double the police on the ground by 2030", in addition to the creation of 10,000 law enforcement positions since the start of the five-year term. To achieve this objective, the orientation and programming law of the Ministry of the Interior (Lopmi) would put an end to undue tasks, such as guarding public buildings, transferring detainees, police hearings, etc. . In total, this should make it possible to free “3,500 police officers and gendarmes” to put them on the public highway.
In addition, Emmanuel Macron announced an acceleration in the release of police and gendarmes from administrative tasks.
"There will no longer be, he said, from 2023 a single one of these personnel active in the functions of administrative control at our borders or management of administrative detention centers (CRA)".
"This will allow us to put no less than 3,000 agents on the public road," he said.
According to corroborating sources, for example, there will no longer be police officers in Roissy airport or in Orly airport to check passports, but administrative staff.
Rural brigades and neighborhood police
Emmanuel Macron also announced the creation of 200 gendarmerie brigades in rural areas and a “republican action force for neighborhoods” in order to “secure” these neighborhoods and “help dismantle” the points of deal. "We are going to create 200 gendarmerie brigades in rural areas which will be able to take the form of new types of establishments with experiments which will be launched in several departments", indicated the president, "to restore peace in the most rural ”.
He also announced the creation of a "republican action force for neighborhoods", or "an action force which, in neighborhoods experiencing difficulties, will allow us to project dedicated security forces for several months. who will come to secure the neighborhood, help dismantle the main points of the deal, ”he said.
According to corroborating sources, this "interministerial force", made up of police officers, judicial police officers (OPJ), finance officials, but also educational staff, social workers, will accompany "the prefects, in areas exposed to an outbreak of violence or significant drug trafficking ”.
Generalized flat-rate fines
The Head of State also announced a generalization of fixed tort fines (AFD) for crimes punishable by sentences of less than one year in prison.
He explained that this generalization of AFD, used in particular to fight against the consumption of narcotics, was "an element of simplification" which will allow "magistrates to concentrate on more important cases".
Twice as many domestic violence investigators
While the year barely started has already been marked by several feminicides, the Head of State has also announced the doubling in 5 years of investigators dedicated to domestic violence, bringing the number to 4,000 investigators.
Street harassment: the fine tripled
Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to triple the fine for street harassment to 300 euros, an act that will be qualified as a "crime", and intends to double the police presence in transport, as part of a future law on security (Lopmi ). In this new law - which could not be voted until after 2022 - the Head of State explained that he wanted "to double the dedicated police presence in public transport at the times when the attacks are most noted".
The "intolerable" aggression of an elected official
Emmanuel Macron also denounced the "intolerable" and unacceptable "aggression of the deputy Stéphane Claireaux (LREM) of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, targeted Sunday by projectiles in front of his home by demonstrators against the health pass.
"We have seen the intensification of violence" against elected officials, lamented the Head of State, referring to the possibility of collecting complaints on the ground for certain victims, including women victims of domestic violence and elected officials attacked.
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And the balance sheet?
"We have these last five years, in accordance with the commitment I made, reinvested in our security," he had previously launched, recalling the 10,000 job creation in the police since 2017. He has also declared having "reinvested in the fight against illegal immigration" and against radicalization and "carried out new action against drugs" with the creation of a central body to fight against trafficking and points of deal.
He also cited "three and a half billion increase in the budget of the Ministry of the Interior."
Emmanuel Macron's assessment on these “sovereign” subjects is presented as “a failure” by his opponents, including the LR candidate Valérie Pécresse who announced Thursday his intention to “bring out the Kärcher” to “clean up the neighborhoods”.
His lieutenant Éric Ciotti, LR deputy for the Alpes-Maritimes, also boycotted the event, accusing the head of state of making a campaign trip with public funds.