Students playing handcuffs, others doing an obstacle course partially dressed in police uniforms, another group having fun aiming at a target, a laser gun in their hands, etc Photos posted on social networks and to which 20 minutes had access show fifth-grade students participate Tuesday afternoon in an afternoon for educational purposes.
All 5th grade classes from the Germaine-Tillion college, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, participated on Tuesday in these workshops organized by the arrondissement town hall and the National Education * and led by the Raid adventure organization association, made up of police officers volunteers. In addition to climbing, boxing and first aid activities, the students had presentations of police arrest techniques and discussed the job with a policeman. They also aimed at targets with laser guns. Finally, they took part in a sports course for which they were invited to wear law enforcement uniforms.
“My daughter was flabbergasted,” confides to 20 minutes Sophie, a parent of a student. The mother of the family had been informed by the educational team of the holding of these workshops on school time. “For me, it was a recruiting session. I’m not sure it has a place in the fifth, they are not choosing their orientation, they are only 12 or 13 years old. ” Same question for Maria, parent of a student at the FCPE: “The students did rock climbing, boxing, laser guns. They saw how to use a tonfa [une matraque utilisée par la police], handcuffs. They were asked if they liked the police. It was clearly police promotion. »
“Promote citizenship and the values of the Republic”
In the e-mail sent to parents announcing the event, the purpose of this day was to “promote citizenship and the values of the Republic, to improve relations between young people and the security forces, to create social ties between the population and the local police, to modify the reciprocal behavior between young people and the police” and finally to “deconstruct stereotypes”. It took place as part of the citizen course, intended for students from primary to high school, and which “contributes to the transmission of the values and principles of the Republic”, according to National Education.
“I am not against the police, we have already had interventions during which the police came to classes to talk about the problems of violence or drugs, says Sylvie, a teacher at the establishment and unionized at Snes. There, I do not see what is the educational scope. Virginie, a colleague who is also unionized, says she is “frightened”. “I don’t see how this will deconstruct a stereotype about the police, I don’t think the students made the connection with what some of them are going through. »
“Sport as a vector of communication”
Through the association Raid Aventure Organization, founded thirty years ago by a former member of the Raid, these 300 volunteer police officers intervene throughout France with this “Prox” device. In October, “Prox” workshops offered to student volunteers in Seine-Saint-Denis had already aroused the ire of some parents of students.
Faced with these outcry, why not give priority to interventions in the classrooms in order to establish a dialogue between young people and the police? “We chose sport as a vector of communication”, defends Marie, one of the coordinators of the association. Why have young people found themselves handcuffing classmates or using training tonfas on sports mattresses? These gestures took place within the framework of a workshop on technical gestures in intervention, explains the coordinator: “The first part is a demonstration by the police officer on technical gestures, the second part is a simulation. The demonstration is done between colleagues, a policeman does not handcuff a child. Afterwards, we provide young people with exercise handcuffs. They are told that the use of handcuffs is governed by a framework. The idea is to popularize our practices so that behind there is a critical spirit: if they see a person handcuffed in the street, they know what the two legal reasons are. »
From “prevention”
Pierrick Paris, Deputy Mayor in charge of Prevention, Security and Public Tranquility, notes that “the children were enthusiastic at the end of the day”. The borough town hall, headed by an environmentalist mayor, was involved in the organization of this half-day. Municipal police officers also led a workshop on road safety. The event was about “prevention”, underlines the elected official: “We went to see the establishment, we did not force anyone. »
Why was this college, which welcomes underprivileged families, chosen? “We happen to have a lot of relationships with this college. If the event were to happen again, I would do it again with other more favored establishments. »
*Contacted, the rectorate of Paris had not responded to our requests at the time of publishing this article.