Paris (AFP)

Valérie Pécresse, president (Libres, ex-LR) of the Ile-de-France region and candidate to lead the right to the presidential election, had an amendment adopted on Wednesday to finance in particular the lethal armament of municipal police, the opposition of left criticizing a "coup".

"It was decided to support the mayors deciding to arm their municipal police," explained Frédéric Péchenard, vice-president in charge of security and former director of the national police under Nicolas Sarkozy, during the examination by the standing committee, which votes aid and subsidies, the latest lifting of the "security shield" put in place by Ms. Pécresse since 2016.

The amendment incorporates "the armament provided for in articles R 511-12 et seq. Of the internal security code", which includes revolvers chambered for the special 38 caliber or 357 magnum, handguns or long guns, electric pulse guns, in "protective and defense equipment" eligible for subsidy.

The Communist group denounced an amendment sent at "12:16" the night before its presentation.

"Valérie Pécresse imposes, without debate or passage in committee, an unprecedented measure which does not however fall under the competences of the Region", underlines it.

"This is a totally unacceptable amendment without at least a democratic debate" in plenary, said Ghislaine Senée, president of the environmental group.

Even Wallerand de Saint-Just (RN), in favor of the lethal arming of municipal police officers, criticized a discussion "off the cuff and point blank".

Vincent Jeanbrun, leader of the LR group, Libres!

and various right, criticized him the PS mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, whose future municipal police will not have a lethal weapon.

"We can make the choice, like Ms. Hidalgo, (...) to ask municipal police officers to risk their lives without the ability to defend themselves", said Mr. Jeanbrun, prompting a reaction from Jean-Marc Germain , regional adviser PS and husband of the presidential candidate.

"It is not because we say what we think about your wife that I should be interrupted," added Mr. Jeanbrun, drawing the wrath of the opposition.

"I am thinking of our colleagues from Montrouge, to Clarissa Jean-Philippe (municipal police officer killed by Amedy Coulibaly in January 2015, Editor's note) whose colleagues could perhaps have saved her if they had been armed", argued Mr. Jeanbrun.

Putting aside "personal attacks", Mr. Germain replied by calling "for a little dignity in the rest of the debates on security".

"The situation and the response may vary from one municipality to another," argued the elected Socialist, defending a "distribution of the nature of interventions" between national and municipal police specific to Paris.

© 2021 AFP