The protest has won the capital. Several hundred police gathered in front of the headquarters of the judicial police in Paris, Tuesday, October 11 at midday. They are protesting against a reform of the judicial police carried out by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, and which provides to place all the police services of a department – intelligence, public security, border police and judicial police – under the authority of a single Departmental Director of the National Police (DDPN), dependent on the prefect.
>> Reform of the judicial police: we explain to you why the police and magistrates are angry
They gathered in front of the “Bastion”, the prestigious headquarters of the Parisian PJ, located at 36 rue du Bastion in the 17th arrondissement. A symbolic number for this police department, since the historic premises were located at 36 quai des Orfèvres. The police notably sang La Marseillaise and brandished portraits of Georges Clémenceau, founder of the Tiger brigades, ancestors of the PJ.
All came despite the threats of sanctions brandished by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin. “The greatest sanction we could have is that the PJ disappears, that it is melted into the global management of a department“, answers Caroline, police commander at the PJ of Evry, south of Paris. “If there are to be sanctions, I think the number of people there shows that it is something that is negligible for us compared to what we risk tomorrow if the reform passes“, she continues.
Police officers from the Parisian PJ are the most numerous in this rally, which follows numerous demonstrations throughout France. However, they are not concerned, because they depend on the Paris police headquarters which escapes the reform. But they are there in support of their colleagues, just like magistrates from the Paris courthouse, located right next door. “In judicial police, there is judiciary, so it concerns justice“, justifies Matthieu Bonduelle, examining magistrate. “In reality, the subject, for us, magistrates, is the same as for the investigators who are mobilized“, he adds.
“The problem is what will be the priorities of tomorrow? Will we still be able to make organized crime files, financial crime files?”
Matthieu Bonduelle, investigating judgeat franceinfo
The investigations of the PJ relate to files “which take time, which are not very profitable, neither in terms of display, nor in terms of statistics“, adds Matthieu Bonduelle, but they are “very important“.”Of course, I am not saying that the public highway is not important, but what is at stake here is knowing who can continue to do justice, that is to say long-term investigations?“, asks the magistrate again.
Police and magistrates therefore appear hand in hand to denounce a loss of skills and means of the judicial police. This is their main fear with this reform, which will not be finalized until next summer.