A police car driving at night (illustration). - Clément Follain / 20 Minutes

Last year, "around thirty judicial investigations were launched against the police on racist remarks", said Tuesday Christophe Castaner at the microphone of BFM / RMC. The Minister of the Interior now wishes that an administrative suspension be systematically initiated in these cases.

Of the 30 investigations entrusted to the General Inspectorate of the National Police, the IGPN, "eight were closed without action and 22 were referred to the courts," said the government representative.

"Our institution must be exemplary even more than others (...) Most of our police officers are not racist, anti-Semitic, or homophobic (...) As soon as there is suspicion, we investigate and if it is proven there is procedure "@CCastaner min. of the Interior # BourdinDirect pic.twitter.com/PaaM6n4Bfz

- RMC (@RMCinfo) June 9, 2020

However, not all of the police officers involved in these 22 cases were dismissed. "We must wait for the end of the procedure and that is what I want to change," insisted the Minister of the Interior, adding that the suspension came "in the event of a proven suspicion" of racism.

Administrative sanction

"Because we considered that there were enough elements to transmit to the judge to prosecute, I think that an administrative sanction is necessary. The administrative preventive sanction is suspension, ”he continued.

Before warning: "In these 22 cases out of 150,000 police officers and 100,000 gendarmes (...) I now want there to be a systematic suspension", estimating that "22 people is ultimately very little but it is 22 people who stain the 'uniform of the Republic'.

Christophe Castaner explained "that there is in this institution as in many institutions, sometimes a form of omerta, a word that does not come free and that is the reason why I chose the expression suspicion proven ”.

A disciplinary council for the WhatsApp group

In Rouen, police officers implicated in December 2019 for racist comments exchanged on WhatsApp messaging have still not been suspended. "In January, we started an administrative procedure and these four people will go to disciplinary council in a few days and will be punished - I have no doubt - and at the same time, there is a criminal investigation. When I read the report on Rouen, I was deeply shocked, I asked for the administrative procedure and I regret not having expressly asked for the immediate suspension, ”added Christophe Castaner.

He also seized the Paris prosecutor's office on Friday for racist messages published on Facebook and attributed to members of the police, as revealed by the news site Streetpress.

Politics

Emmanuel Macron asks the government to "speed up" on police ethics

Society

Racism in the police: "Exemplary sanctions" needed, says interministerial delegate for combating racism

  • IGPN
  • Ministry of the Interior
  • Investigation
  • Christophe Castaner
  • Police
  • Racism
  • Society