Demonstrations are multiplying all over the world, and especially in France to denounce police violence and racism in the police. But according to the spokesman of the national police, Michel Lavaud, guest of Europe 1 Saturday, "the police is not racist". And if acts are proven, "the police are punished".

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Since the murder of the African-American George Floyd by a white police officer on May 25, anger has swelled in the United States and in the rest of the world, in particular in France, and demonstrations are organized to protest against police violence and racism. Guest of Europe 1 Saturday, Michel Lavaud, the spokesman of the national police, refutes the accusations of endemic racism within the French police.

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"The national police is obviously not racist"

"The national police are obviously not racist," says Michel Lavaud. But "facts raise questions and require essential investigations". "It is obvious that racism is a scourge, and that all the light must be shed when it can be reproached to a police officer with regard to the population or even inside police services", assures - he. "For these two types of racist acts, the devices are transparent and they exist." If a person "considers himself a victim of racist acts", he can "file a complaint with the police, the gendarmerie if this is the case, before the public prosecutor and he can finally contact the IGPN by a report by email ", he explains.

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In 2019, the IGPN was seized about thirty times, against 46 investigations in 2018. Recall that in total, there are 146,000 police officers on the territory. Quite low figures, mainly because victims of racism will very rarely file complaints or go to court. They think (rightly or wrongly) that it is useless.

"All reports are processed"

"These devices are available to everyone," adds Michel Lavaud. "They are effective, that is to say that all reports are processed and all follow-up is given. For example, the IGPN offers many sanctions and many police officers are punished with the most extreme vigilance and the greatest firmness, "he said.

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Police officers are punished every year. But overall, these are cases that remain rare, while the police are increasingly filmed, everywhere, all the time. They themselves, for some, have pedestrian cameras, to film the controls and avoid abuse on both sides.