what is the “travel-protect” device that allowed a police officer to intervene?

A big scare, Thursday July 13 for the passengers of a TGV Milan-Annecy-Paris. An aggressive man on board a TGV Milan-Annecy-Paris was overpowered by a plainclothes policeman from the Paris police headquarters this Thursday at midday, franceinfo learned from the SNCF.

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According to a source familiar with the matter at franceinfo, the man was armed with a knife. According to a witness, joined by franceinfo, the madman had a very agitated behavior during the trip. The latter tried to open the door of the TGV several times, then grabbed a window breaker to break “all he could“, reports the witness who was seated right next to the madman.

According to the Chalon-sur-Saône prosecutor’s office, which provides details in a press release, the man “of foreign nationality“failed to be subdued by the controllers, who therefore called in a plainclothes policeman”armed with his weapon” and present on board the train. The man then “thrown on him” and an “brawl” then broke out. During this fight, the policeman took “care to put away your gun“. Despite everything, the man succeeded “to seize it” and load the weapon. Still according to the prosecution, the policeman managed to “hold the weapon down, thus preventing people from being injured“. It was during this struggle that the shot was left to come”lodge in the ground“. The policeman finally managed to “to dismiss the weapon then to subdue the aggressor with the help of a few passengers“. There were no injuries, indicate the SNCF and the gendarmerie.

37 police interventions in trains since the beginning of the year

The plainclothes policeman was traveling with the “travel-protect” device. This measure came into force about a year and a half ago. It allows police officers to travel at very reduced rates on board trains. In return, they must report to the controller, travel incognito with their service weapon and be ready to intervene if necessary.

In the TGV Milan-Annecy-Paris, the policeman who intervened works in the Paris region. According to testimonies from passengers, the official showed up with his armband before attempting to arrest the suspect. The latter was finally disembarked with difficulty at Le Creusot station.

This is not the first time that a police officer has been called in an emergency while traveling. Last February, a man who threatened to commit an attack on a Colmar-Paris route was arrested by one of these plainclothes and armed police officers. In all since the beginning of the year, the police have intervened 37 times on trains. The system is appealing to agents: they have booked nearly 160,000 journeys since it was set up in 2022.