Yesterday Saturday, December 11 in the evening, police officers from the anti-crime brigade (BAC) of the Sète police station were the target of gunfire. No victim but bullet holes on the vehicle and a great anger from the police officers who denounce a chronic understaffing.
It was in a press release that the Alliance de l’Hérault police union expressed its anger. Yesterday evening, shortly before 9 p.m., the vehicle of the Sète BAC was the subject of gunfire. Three policemen were inside and stationed in the Île de Thau district. According to police information, the author of the shots was riding a scooter at the time of the incident. : “several shots were fired, one of which hit the police vehicle without fortunately causing any casualties among its occupants. “The investigation was entrusted to the research service of the judicial police (SRPJ) of Montpellier.
This incident is serious. He recalls the dangerousness of night police work, especially in the Sète constituency where the lack of staff is very alarming.
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Chronic understaffing
The police are wondering about the link between these shots on a patrol and the anti-narcotics operation carried out last week in Sète. The vehicle that an individual shot before fleeing was unmarked. The investigation will have to determine if the police officers were targeted as such or if they were confused with a rival gang by dealers.
Alliance 34 is asking for rapid, lasting and substantial reinforcements for Sète, which suffers from a recurring lack of personnel, according to the police. A finding validated by all the police unions. All are indignant at the lawlessness in which the police work at night. For Bruno Bartocetti, from the SGP unit union, “The constituency of Sète is the one where the shortage of personnel is the most glaring. On several occasions, we have asked the Ministry of the Interior for reinforcements. It is unacceptable that the BAC police officers are only two per patrol. night.”
A madman arrested
The more so as the evening was very agitated in Sète, on this same district of the island of Thau yesterday Saturday December 11th. Two police officers from the night shift of the BAC intervened to arrest an armed individual who took refuge on the 3rd floor of an apartment building after using his weapon in the street, without causing any injuries. The two officials had to face an armed and very angry man, who refused to respond to their requests and made threats against a resident of the building. They were joined by a third BAC policeman who was finishing his day shift. Between them, they managed to control the madman. “It is thanks to the coolness and professionalism of these police officers that the affair did not degenerate“, explains Bruno Bartocetti of the SGP unit union,”but we can clearly see that two officials for a night patrol is insufficient and dangerous for everyone.”
First, the police are targeted with a gun while on surveillance. Then, another crew must face an armed individual determined to do battle with the police. We avoided a tragedy twice yesterday on the Île de Thau.
Two cases that could have ended very badly. And which prove, for the police unions, how urgent it is to strengthen the staff of the Sète police station. According to their calculations, there are 30 police officers missing.
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