According to magistrates, the rate of elucidation of investigations has “deteriorated” while the wage bill has increased by 10 billion euros in ten years.
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More police officers but fewer investigations resolved. Despite the increase in the wage bill in the national police, the rate of elucidation of investigations has “deteriorated” for several years and the number of agents in the field has not increased, according to a note published Thursday, November 18 by the Court of Auditors. “The recent work of the Court on the subject converges towards the idea that the solution to the insufficiency of these performances lies above all in a better use and a renewed management of human resources”, estimate the magistrates in this note.
Despite the ten billion euros devoted for ten years to the payroll of the police, which made it possible to hire 8,000 more police officers between 2015 and 2020, the rate of presence on the ground of the police officers is “falling”. In 2016, the clearance rate for homicides was 70.3%, compared to 62.6% in 2020. These figures are “revealing the difficulties in dealing with offenses by local judicial services”, according to the note.
“The organization of work, despite recent reforms, remains inadequate”, underlines the Court of Auditors. “The national police still need to raise their standards in the years to come”, assure the Sages, believing that “organization of work” and the “management of hourly cycles” must be adapted “to operational needs”. In addition, the Court of Auditors considers that the Ministry of the Interior must “develop mutualizations between the police and the gendarmerie”.