Lionel Gougelot / Photo credit: Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP 09:17, May 25, 2023

President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Roubaix on Thursday to pay tribute to the three young police officers killed in a collision Sunday with a vehicle whose driver was heavily drunk and drugged. Within the police station's team, emotion is still very strong four days after the tragedy.

President Emmanuel Macron is expected Thursday in Roubaix where he must participate in a tribute to the three police officers killed Sunday in intervention, in a collision with a vehicle driving in the opposite direction, whose driver was heavily alcoholic and positive for cannabis. Since this tragedy, the atmosphere is heavy at the police station of Roubaix.

"Life doesn't matter much"

A heavy silence has reigned for four days at the police station. We meet serious faces like that of Fabien Evrard, a judicial police officer who regularly rubbed shoulders with the three young police officers who died Sunday. "It's a real time of mourning and anger about the dramatic consequences. We are also crossed by the idea that it could have been any of us, "he explains to the microphone of Europe 1.

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According to Fabien, this tragedy is a reminder of the daily danger faced by all police officers on the ground in Roubaix. "If only in relation to the attitudes of motorists on the sector. We dread coming across someone who is under the influence of laughing gas, alcohol or drugs. It reminds us that we are fragile. Life doesn't matter much and anything can happen," he explains.

Testimonies of solidarity

The many expressions of solidarity from the population and the bouquets of flowers that invade the steps and the entrance hall of the police station alleviate the pain a little. "Hearing a 'thank you, we need you, it's nice that you are here, pay attention to yourself' from strangers, residents who are not always supportive of police action helps to go through the mourning. It's far from enough, but it helps to overcome this ordeal," Fabien continues.

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This Thursday morning, half of the 400 police officers of the Roubaix police station will join the national tribute at the police academy.