the police “must and can obviously improve”, concedes the Union of National Police Commissioners

But “the number one problem” remains “violence which has become commonplace”, points out Frédéric Lauze, secretary general of the Union of National Police Commissioners.

The police “must and can obviously improve”, concedes Frédéric Lauze, secretary general of the Union of National Police Commissioners, Tuesday February 27 on franceinfo. He reacts to the results of a survey carried out by the Defender of Rights among several hundred gendarmes and police officers, according to which the majority of them consider that carrying out their mission is a priority over respecting the law, or even that the use of more force than what is provided for in the texts should be tolerated.

However, these results must be placed in a context “which has deteriorated with an explosion of delinquency over the long term”he tempers, citing in particular “delinquency against all those who are depositaries of public authority, against police officers, gendarmes, but also against teachers, against firefighters”. He also believes that the riots of 2023 after the death of Nahel, killed during a police check in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine), “by their violence, are unprecedented” And “have seriously damaged social cohesion”. However, “we must not go any further in the authorized use of force. We have found a point of balance with the texts that already exist”, he says, contradicting the majority of survey respondents.

A “feeling of impunity”, particularly among “minors”

There is “each year, more than 2,000 sanctions against failing police officers”, recalls Frédéric Lauze. “There are even around 50 to 60 dismissals per year for police officers who have no place in the institution or who do not respect the employment framework and republican values”he adds. “Should we do more, particularly in terms of continuing education? I think so. We can do more,” he admits, referring to the fact that members of law enforcement interviewed in the study also point to the lack of training within their ranks.

However, “the number one problem is this violence which has become commonplace”insists the union leader who deplores a “feeling of impunity among the perpetrators of this violence”, especially “miners”. However, this problem “will not exonerate the police from continuing to improve to better appropriate the rules of ethics, to get closer to the population”he says.