In this letter addressed to the prefects and directors of the police and gendarmerie, the Minister of the Interior emphasizes twice the acronym "RIO" (repository of identities and organization), to better recall its mandatory wearing since 2014, allowing to identify a civil servant, especially in case of violence.
The police must wear it "in uniform as in civilian clothes," he wrote.
In a handwritten message at the end of the telegram, Gérald Darmanin notes that they are "responsible for the strict application of these instructions in accordance with the law" and thank them for their "mobilization, especially on the occasion of the demonstration of May 1st", regularly the theater of incidents, especially in Paris.
"Police and gendarmes do not carry their registration, it is contrary to the rules," the Minister of the Interior admitted on April 5 before the Senate.
On the same day, the Council of State, seized urgently by several human rights organizations, lawyers and magistrates, had however refused to impose measures on the Ministry of the Interior.
"It is up to both the hierarchical authorities and the heads of unit to recall and enforce this obligation", under penalty of "a disciplinary sanction", had recalled the administrative judge.
During the hearing, the representative of the Ministry of the Interior had acknowledged that no police officer or gendarme has ever been prosecuted for the sole fact of not wearing his RIO.
© 2023 AFP