Covid: vaccine obligation for gendarmes, incentive for police officers

The gendarmes assigned in the field or in contact with the public will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by September 15, while the police favor for the time being "the incitement to vaccination", according to internal documents consulted this Wednesday.

The gendarmes concerned by the vaccination obligation are "military personnel, active and reserve, in public security missions, road safety, maintenance of order, judicial police and reception or performing services in contact with the public or people outside the Gendarmerie ", lists a note from the General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie (DGGN), dated Tuesday.

Incite the police

This note follows an instruction from the Army Health Service (SSA), dated July 29 and revealed by

, making vaccination compulsory "for any soldier serving (...) on metropolitan territory under a operational engagement decided by the general staff of the armed forces or the direction of the national gendarmerie ".

Among the police officers, who do not have military status, the heads of service are invited to "continue the incitement to vaccination" of the agents placed under their authority, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the prefects by the secretary general of the ministry of the Interior, Jean-Benoît Albertini. "It will be necessary to ensure that all the facilities, including schedules, are granted to the agents to (...) benefit" from the vaccination, writes for his part the general manager of the national police (DGPN), Frédéric Veaux, in a telegram also dated Tuesday. 

A higher rate than the national average

This incitement to vaccination was recalled by the Minister of the Interior to the police unions meeting Monday by audio conference, according to his entourage. Gérald Darmanin confirmed to them that the vaccination obligation was not planned at this stage, but that this could change, we added from the same source. "This announcement is linked to the very high rate of vaccination in the ranks of the National Police, higher than the national average, "the Unsa-Police union reacted in a statement.

The vaccination obligation, announced on July 12 by President Emmanuel Macron to counter the strong resumption of the Covid-19 epidemic, concerns nursing and non-nursing staff in hospitals and retirement homes, professionals and volunteers working with the elderly. , including at home, as well as firefighters or paramedics.