A French police officer stands watch before the French President's visit to Bordeaux, western France, in February 2023 (French)

Police messages on closed WhatsApp groups raise concern for sector leaders in France. Police groups that use encrypted messages on WhatsApp reveal a large amount of violations, and they may also lead to the creation of true parallel leaderships from which undeclared leaders and self-appointed official spokesmen can emerge. Which may represent a danger to the leadership of the police sector.

Le Monde newspaper explained - in its report on the subject, written by Antoine Albertini - that a message was of the type: “I hate black people who are like me... both together, what a horror!”

It stated that another 6,000 messages of the same type were published by a policeman from the city of Rouen, which he and his colleagues had exchanged in an open discussion group on the encrypted messaging application WhatsApp in 2019, which led to his final dismissal from the police force in 2023.

This incident, which went almost unnoticed - according to the newspaper - illustrates a trend that the police leadership considered “worrying”, which is the spread of encrypted message groups, in which not only racist, sexual or violent comments abound, but also leads to the creation of real parallel commands that can To create undeclared leaders and self-appointed spokespersons.

“The search for horizontality in relationships is becoming more common in an institution like the police that is still very vertical, mainly among young recruits who were born with digital tools,” says Sonia Fipplewell, a police spokeswoman.

The police leadership is trying to closely monitor this problem, without having effective detection tools, so how do we control loops that are deactivated as quickly as they were created, thanks to the available free and open source applications? Fibblewell wonders.

French riot police officers stand guard during a "united march" against police brutality called by NGOs, unions and parties, in Paris on September 23, 2023. (French)

Ethical obligations

The police leadership proposed strengthening the internal messaging service for public sector employees, and increasing awareness-raising operations in police schools, recalling the ethical obligations and administrative or legal risks of improper use of communication groups.

A source within the police says, “The only thing that is certain is that the General Administration of the National Police strongly supports dismissal from the job in the event of serious and proven violations.” Indeed, 6 police officers were dismissed from the Nancy Night Anti-Crime Brigade in March 2022, before they were convicted in June 2023.

Trade union organizations, the traditional hubs between the police base and higher authorities, feel excluded from these circles.

The directors of a group founded shortly after the announcement of the imprisonment of a police officer, which gathered more than 3,500 members across France within a few hours, issued strict silence instructions to representatives of professional organizations who tolerated their presence in the group.

Previous protests against police violence and a banner reading: “Against police violence” (Associated Press)

Officials were harassed

Examples of civil servants who were harassed by the relative secrecy of WhatsApp messages have multiplied in recent years - as the newspaper says - revealing a phenomenon that finds its translation in the real world, by causing tension, anxiety and “hell,” as explained by a policewoman who was the first to join the anti-crime squad in Lauren, she was not fired, but was "pretty much pushed out."

The website pointed out that condemning these unbearable facts entails some risks. Karima Saeed, a lawyer specializing in social law, says, “When the victim speaks, her situation deteriorates further. The victims are fully aware of this, as are the perpetrators and their accomplices.”

One of the lawyer's clients, after a promising start to his career, found himself the target of his management's silence because he denounced the harassment he had been subjected to for several months within the prestigious judicial police department in Paris. He was followed by sexual "jokes" posted by his boss on the WhatsApp ring, followed by posters posted in the hallways. Then what he described as “verbal violence” and “manipulative behavior” until it reached caressing and his boss ordered him to rub (the cream) on his back.

The young police officer contacted his superiors, explained his situation in writing, and expressed his “dissatisfaction” with the officer’s behavior. It is certain that an internal investigation has since been launched, but the police mandate is content to specify, “It continues on its course and the two civilian employees involved are on sick leave.”

Source: Le Monde