Toulouse. Animal abuse: how the fight against the scourge has entered a new dimension
By Quentin Marais
Published on
Summer 2022 symbolizes a turning point in the fight against animal abuse, In Toulouse. A few weeks after the police received special equipment, it was up to the Pink City prosecutor’s office to enter the dance more than simplified.
Chip readers for the police
The turn was orchestrated in mid-August 2022, when police captain Céline Gardel, also president of the “Les 4 Pattounes” association, explained to Toulouse News that law enforcement therefore had chip readers. “In Toulouse, almost all the police and gendarmes are equipped with it,” she said.
The device quite simply makes it possible to directly identify the owner of an animal found lost, stolen or deceased. Good news while the month of August had been marked by a terrible story: Manny, a 2-year-old dog, found dead in Toulouse, tied to a portal of the SPA by her mistress who wanted to abandon her.
“The 180° turn is this summer”
Everything started gradually. “Unofficially, in Toulouse, you have animal referents in the police, whether on the right bank or the left bank. The police are trained in school. It’s still awesome“, savors the captain. Which underlines the transition made in recent months, the qualifier of “real turn, because there is coordination”. Those are all the links in the chain who are involved, and we can only gain in efficiency”.
“At the Toulouse public prosecutor’s office, this summer, there is the Environment and Animal Abuse Unit which was created. The Attorney General of the Toulouse Court of Appeal, Mr Franck Rastoul, affirms that he is determined to give a criminal response to these offences.”
The president of the association “Les 4 Pattounes” welcomes the joining of forces. “We really walk hand in hand, it’s very comfortable. There was also the creation of the post of Attorney General’s delegate, specializing in animal abuse. It is a job creation that is complementary to the referring magistrate, to offer quick answers and that the author is punished. »
Several dates in the calendar
The summer represented a turning point, but what follows will be just as decisive. Céline Gardel notes the date of October 17, where “we are sensitizing the magistrates of six jurisdictions concerning animal abuse: Toulouse, Saint-Gaudens, Castres, Albi, Foix and Montauban”.
The police captain will then regroup on November 9, the date on which a “meeting will bring together all the animal protection associations of Haute-Garonne, because some feel helpless“. History of guiding the fight against abuse to its top speed… after the summer shift.
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