The funfair has taken over Place de la Libération since Saturday September 9. If the atmosphere is generally festive, the popular event also brings its share of spoilsport. Hence the need for law enforcement to deploy a reinforced system.
J.-M. C. – Today at 05:00
Festive, fun, good-natured… These joyful adjectives fit well with the funfair, set up until September 24 at Place de la Libération. The fact remains that this popular gathering can sometimes turn into a free-for-all: “This was not the case last June, nor in 2022,” points out Laurent Cavalieri. The head of the multi-communal police force, however, does not have a short memory.
Pepper spray
In 2021, his troops found themselves in the middle of a violent brawl. Around thirty young people, equipped with screwdrivers and knives, determined to do battle: “The colleagues were surrounded, with no solution. It was necessary to call on the gendarmerie, the national police and even a crew from the Metz anti-crime brigade to restore calm…”
This news item did not stop there. He continued into the political arena, one evening at a municipal council meeting in Thionville. The skirmish then took place between Christiane Zanoni and a section of the opposition. The municipal deputy used this altercation to justify the need to provide the city’s security forces with new equipment: a high-capacity 500 ml tear gas bomb.
“The idea is to clearly mark our presence on the ground”
“We have been equipped with it since last year,” confides Laurent Cavalieri. This category B weapon, the use of which is limited by law and more precisely by the notion of self-defense, will therefore be part of the equipment of multi-municipal police officers during this fortnight. A massive deterrent weapon which is part of a reinforced system on site. From his long experience, the boss has identified the hot spots: “Wednesday afternoon, the day when many young people arrive by bus near the fair. And on weekends, in the evening. »
“Patrols will be reinforced during these periods,” warns Laurent Cavalieri. And surveillance will end later, at 12:30 a.m. and not as usual at 11:30 p.m. The idea is to clearly mark our presence on the ground. » The spoilsport has been warned. They will also keep in mind that the national police are housed in a police station near the fair…
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