More than a year after the announcement of his abandonment, the "choke key", a controversial police stop technique, is now officially replaced by three other techniques prohibiting any continuous and prolonged pressure on the larynx.

More than a year after the announcement of his abandonment, the "choke key", a controversial police stop technique, is now officially replaced by three other techniques prohibiting any continuous and prolonged pressure on the larynx.

For a long time, the "choke key" had been criticized, but in January 2020, the death of a delivery man, Cédric Chouviat, after a check in Paris by the police had triggered a general outcry.

A few months later, in June, the then Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner, announced the abandonment of this technique.

But it remained, before replacing "the choke key", to determine what alternatives could be taught.

Banned for several years by the gendarmes

A working group chaired by Frédéric Lauze, then head of the Val-d'Oise police force, was tasked with proposing other techniques and its report was due to be presented last fall. But, nothing happened, neither communication, nor decision, nor directive, nor speech of the new Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin. And for lack of an alternative, the "choke key" continued to be used.

"I used it a lot, I use it less now", in particular since the death of Georges Floyd in the United States and the beating in Paris by the police officers of Michel Zecler, underlined in June to AFP a member of the Val-de-Marne anti-crime brigade.

"A memo tells us to stop the key while waiting for another method, but there are no other methods" to "make someone strong, under stupor or under alcohol", explained the official then, 27 years of police behind him. 

Side gendarmes, the strangulation was "banned" several years ago and "any constraint on the spine and any chest pressure are prohibited", assured General Bertrand Cavallier in June.

Convince the police

In a letter dated Friday and addressed to all senior officials of the national police, the boss of the police, Frédéric Veaux, officially signed the death certificate of the strangulation key.

Stressing that this technique presented "risks", Frédéric Veaux announced that it was "therefore decided to give it up definitively".

He detailed three techniques that will replace it and will henceforth be taught to police officers.

It is a question of "bringing it to the ground by pivot", of "bringing it to the ground by control of the half shoulder and of" control by control of the head ".

These new techniques are based on "the principle of gradation of force according to the resistance of the individual, using methods of bringing down and control without resorting to continuous and prolonged pressure at the level of the larynx" , explained the boss of the police. The main problem for Frédéric Veaux is to convince the police and the unions that the new techniques will be as effective as the strangling key for the arrest of robust and violent people.

As soon as it was announced, the unions protested, explaining that renouncing it would be "a mistake".

For them, supervising it, improving it and better training the police officers was the only possible answer.

"We just have to specify the risks in school. Once the person is handcuffed, his arms behind his back, it's over. We must not drag on, that's all," had defended to AFP , Nicolas (the first name has been changed), from a BAC in the Paris region.

Few alternatives find favor in their eyes.

The keys of arms?

"To make them very clean, you have to have a crazy level, train several hours a week", explained Nicolas.

An "observatory of intervention practices" composed of police officers and technical experts from civil society will be placed with the central director of recruitment and training. Finally, announced Frédéric Veaux, a "reflection seminar on the use of legitimate force will be organized every three years to take stock of the difficulties that police officers may encounter in the field".