Sought on Friday at the City Council meeting of Nantes, by right-wing opposition to arming the municipal police, Johanna Rolland has rejected the idea, claiming it to be “unfavorable”.
As on many subjects, at the city council meeting on Friday, the right wing opposition and the centre put the question of arming the municipal police on the agenda. Through the voice of Julien Bainvel: “No one can deny that our municipal police officers are much more than before potential targets of possible attacks and bombings. No one can deny that everywhere in France, mayors decide to arm their municipal police. “
State aid
He recalled that the government “is co-financing the purchase by the municipalities of body armor and makes available more than 4,000 weapons in communities to equip municipal police.”
Julien Bainvel wish this armament in Nantes, “because [he] considers that a genuine threat to our agents, they have become targets and that they must protect themselves and us.” He seeks the inclusion of a debate on the arming of municipal police in the agenda of a future council.
Discussion with police
He did not wait long to answer … Johanna Rolland, the mayor, is clear about her intentions: “I am adverse to the arming of the municipal police. “ She considers, to justify that choice, that ” the role of the municipal police is different from the role of the national police. It should not be any confusion in the minds of people. “
The mayor however informed that a working group with municipal police of Nantes: “We reflect with them on how to better protect them. They began to make proposals.” She cites, for example, a direct radio link between the two policies.
If the municipal police of Nantes are, to them, this application being armed? “There are a wide variety of positions on this issue among the agents, observes Johanna Rolland. Me, my conviction is deep and my position is clear. “
