The prefect of Doubs, Joël Mathurin, seized the IGPN after the dissemination on social networks of a video taken Thursday, showing a police officer striking a violent blow to a young man in Besançon, the prefecture announced on Friday. On the video of ten seconds, visible on Twitter, we see a police officer wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest talking, it seems calmly, with a young man in the sensitive district of Planoise. Suddenly, the policeman gives him a violent blow in the face, the video stopping at that moment.
This is how some of the Besançon police behave out of sight pic.twitter.com/Yo3LcDgCv6
- 25i (@legergui) July 31, 2020"In the interest of the service, the prefect requested an immediate withdrawal from the public highway of the police officer to the departmental director of public security of Doubs, pending the conclusions of this investigation," said the prefecture in a communicated. "A procedure has been opened. The policeman and the 16-year-old young man will be interviewed," a source familiar with the matter told AFP.
The teenager in custody for contempt and threat
According to the same source, the teenager was taken into police custody Thursday afternoon for "contempt and threat of crime against a person holding public authority". He was released from custody early Friday afternoon with a summons in October before the children's judge to answer for these facts. In his press release, the prefect of Doubs also says he wants "the continuation of the work of republican reconquest and the fight against narco-trafficking successfully engaged for several months in the district of Planoise".
"Exemplary professionalism is required in the republican action of the police, it implies coolness in all circumstances", adds Joël Mathurin, however, while renewing "his confidence and his gratitude towards the internal security forces who intervene in difficult conditions ".