With the aim of improving the French police’s operating conditions and to improve their ties with the public, President Emmanuel Macron has announced a series of consultations, known as the "Beauvau of security", for January. However, the idea is already being met with plenty of scepticism.
Caught in the crossfire between security forces and the public after allegations of police misconduct, Macron is resorting to what has become something of a habit during his presidency: the organisation of major consultations with stakeholders. Having already held such discussions on food, domestic violence, the climate and health, he has now announced one on the French police.
Accused by many organisations and citizens' groups of turning a blind eye to police violence, criticised in recent days by law enforcement unions for talking about the violence and facial recognition checks during an interview with online publication Brut, the French President opted for a solution that, according to him, will defuse an explosive situation and help bring about a reconciliation between the French public and the police.
This consultation, known as the "Beauvau of security" (after Place Beauvau, the Parisian square on which the French Interior Ministry is located) will bring together representatives of law enforcement agencies, elected officials and citizens.
"I will participate personally," Macron promised in a letter to Unite-SGP-FO police union official Yves Lefebvre that was seen by AFP. Lefebvre had written to Macron to express the "anger" among police officers over his comments during his interview with Brut.
"There is an urgent need to act," continued Macron in the letter. "On the one hand, to strengthen the bond of trust between the French and the forces of law and order. But also to give the police and gendarmes the means to meet their commitments and the expectations of our citizens."
Macron said the meeting would target seven key areas for reform: the training of police officers, their supervision, resources, the filming of on-duty police, inspections, staffing levels, and relations between the police and the public.
But who else will sit at the table?
The announcement was surprising, given what had come earlier. On November 16, the Ministry of the Interior published its "White Paper on Internal Security", the result of several months of work that brought together security experts, elected officials, prefects, field agents, researchers and academics, private security stakeholders and citizens. The 332-page document set out 200 measures aimed in particular at "guaranteeing the effectiveness of the activities of internal security forces" and "rebuilding the conditions of trust between the population and the security forces".
"There is a clear overlap with the work done by the white paper," Mathieu Zagrodzki, a Cesdip associate researcher at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin and a police specialist, told FRANCE 24.
Given that Macron has promised to take part in the meetings, they are sure to be under the media’s spotlight. But will that allow for a constructive dialogue? That’s far from being a given, judging by the reactions of the main law enforcement unions.
While Unite-SGP-FO praised "the president's quick response", both the Alliance and Synergy Officers unions were "cautious", adding that this type of meeting would not "solve the problems”. Alliance warned that it would not "respond to the presidential invitation" and, in addition, all the unions said that their calls to their members to stop conducting identity checks would be maintained.
"The success of this event will depend, in particular, on the participants," Zagrodzki continued. “We will need diversity and representation to find a meeting point between law enforcement agencies and the public, relying on those participants who are most open to dialogue."
Announcements that lead nowhere?
Another question concerns the themes that will be put on the table. The Interior Ministry's white paper had carefully left out sensitive subjects such as police violence, the growing mistrust of the French towards the police force, accusations of systemic racism, and the independence of the IGPN, the French internal affairs department. So will these subjects be addressed head-on this time?
"I'm hoping for good news, but Emmanuel Macron is used to making promises and announcements that lead to nothing," said Alexandre Langlois, general secretary of the police union Vigi, to FRANCE 24. Langlois recently announced his departure from the police after the Michel Zecler affair, an incident in which security cameras caught police beating and racially abusing a Black record producer for not wearing a mask.
"I recall that in January 2020 Macron had already asked the then-Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner, for proposals to improve the code of ethics of law enforcement," Langlois added. “Then in the spring he asked the government to speed up with the code of ethics. However, we are still waiting, so I am rather sceptical."
So what next for this major consultation on the police? "Organising a meeting is easy, but getting concrete reforms out of it is more difficult," Zagrodzki said.
"We can pass good resolutions, but if they are not applied, they are useless," agreed Langlois, who does not believe that the current leaders will have a change of mindset.
This article has been adapted from the original, which was in French.
