is there a problem of racism in the police ? The debate has taken on historic proportions in the United States in recent days with the mobilization that followed the death of George Floyd, an African-American, was asphyxiated by a white policeman during his arrest in Minneapolis. The question has crossed the Atlantic with events, but also revelations on the existence of a private forum where police officers and gendarmes exchanged racist comments on Facebook.
Yet, according to the statistics from the annual report 2019 by the general Inspectorate of the national police (IGPN) and revealed by The Sunday Newspaper, the number of investigations of police officers for racist slurs, or discriminatory has fallen in the last year. The police of the police has identified that 30 in 2019, compared to 46 in 2018, a decrease of nearly 35 %.
at the same time, the total number of records, all reasons combined, including the IGPN was seized is on the rise. 1 460 surveys were open in 2019 compared to only 1 180 in 2018. An evolution of statistics which may be linked to the movement of the yellow Vests. In addition, the more severe events are also on the increase according to the IGPN : 19 people died in a police mission in 2019, compared with 17 the previous year.
The promises of Castaner
in the Face of a controversy that is gaining momentum, Christophe Castaner has promised a penalty for each mistake or word racist on the part of the forces of law and order. "I am, on this topic, uncompromising," pointed out the minister of the Interior Wednesday, 3 June. Two days later, it became known that the police of Rouen, set due 2019 for racist exchanged on WhatsApp, have been referred to the disciplinary board. A preliminary investigation has also been opened on Friday by the prosecutor of the Republic in Paris, Rémy Heitz, for "public insult of a racist nature" and "public provocation to racial hatred" after the revelations about the forum on Facebook which brings together more than 8 000 people.
Read also the Suburbs : the summer of all the dangers ?
With the JDD, a police officer who founded the association Agora, citizens, police and justice (ACPJ) in order to create a space for dialogue between the police and the population, explains that the policy statements are strongly react to the forces of the order. "These charges are experienced internally as an injustice. Compared to what is practiced there are still ten or twenty years in the police stations, they feel they are behaving like choir boys. "
