It was a campaign promise : Thursday evening, the city council formalized the recruitment of 20 additional municipal police officers. The posts have been entered in the City’s staffing plan and will therefore be filled in the coming weeks. The number of Metz municipal police will then be increased to 115 officers. “Almost one municipal police officer per 1,000 inhabitants,” Denis Marchetti (EELV, United for Metz group) counts. If we look elsewhere, for example in Strasbourg, the number of municipal police there is half as much as a proportion of the population. In Nancy, the 2020 budget provided for only 70 municipal police officers. According to you, therefore, we would need 45 more police officers than the Nancy residents? Finally, in Marseille, the City employs one police officer for every 2,000 inhabitants, half as much as in Metz under your mandate. Are we to understand that for you, Metz would be so dangerous that it requires twice as many resources as Marseille? “
Cost of this measure: one million euros per year, to which must be added the in vestments already voted for the acquisition of hybrid SUVs and those to come to install 850 additional cameras. Denis Marchetti is also moved: “In the financial slump that you presented to us last month, is the police an island? “
–
“It’s a leftist Pavlovian speech!” “
François Grosdidier smiles: “I may have been a right-wing Pavlovian at a young age, but it has been a long time since experience and the exercise of responsibilities rid me of ideological prejudices. On the other hand, I have just heard an authentic speech of a leftist Pavlovian! “He explains:” Neither Nancy, nor Strasbourg, nor Marseille are benchmarks in terms of security. You could quote Nice or Limoges, which experienced alternation in 2014. These cities have a number of police officers per capita much higher than that which will be ours. “
The mayor denies any overbidding: “We have calculated the manpower necessary to achieve an organization of the municipal police which has been validated by universal suffrage. This organization provides for a police presence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, more or less numerous depending on the time of the week. With reinforcement during the nights of the weekend and in all the districts. Because we believe that all Messins have the right to the same level of security. “
–
