A hundred judicial police officers (PJ) denounced during a demonstration on Wednesday in Toulon the risk of “death” of their institution in the face of the reform of the national police wanted by the Minister of the Interior.
Executives and unions of the PJ are upwind against the reform of Gérald Darmanin which aims to put all the police services at the departmental level under the authority of the same director of the national police (DDPN), dependent on the prefect. They see in it a risk of diluting the means and skills of the PJ, as well as its independence from the executive.
A black coffin and a minute of silence
Echoing the actions carried out since the beginning of September, particularly in Bordeaux and Nancy, a black coffin bearing the PJ crest was placed in front of the gate of the Var prefecture on which about fifty vests crossed out with a black band in sign of mourning were hanged. A minute of silence was also observed by the police officers present, who came from the services of Toulon, Marseille and Montpellier.
Against the risk of “death of the judicial police”, the CGT Police delegate in Toulon, Christophe Olivieri, warned the ministry, in front of the demonstrators, including some lawyers who came to support them. “We want to keep our delocalized and zonal command which allows us real independence in our investigations at the service of magistrates and citizens,” he claimed.