With the police reform project, all investigators, including those of the judicial police, will be placed under the orders of a departmental director. PJ cops who normally work on the most serious crimes will be deployed in a joint investigation service. They fear seeing their status as specialized investigators disappear.

Christophe is a PJ investigator in Toulouse. He has been working on big cases of financial crime or drug traffickers for 30 years. Investigations that can last 2 years sometimes. On his desk, 15 big files to deal with.

Today he joined the National Association of Judicial Police, an association for the defense of the interests of this police institution.

“The Ministry of the Interior wants to create a single direction of the investigation by department. A cell that will deal with small everyday offenses as well as major criminal cases. There will be no more Judicial Police. We are specialized police officers. But tomorrow it will be over. All investigators, whether they come from the PAF, intelligence or the PJ, will be called upon to deal with everyday delinquency as well as crimes. It’s inconsistent.“

In Toulouse, the Judicial Police is made up of 80 investigators. With the reform, she would join the 150 public security investigators.

“It’s not enough“, continues Christophe. “If we carry out this reform, then we have to recruit and train. If we are undersized, we let the victims down. we need a coherent penal response. In Toulouse, 55,000 complaints are outstanding.”

This Thursday, October 6, about 50 investigators from the Judicial Police gathered in front of the central police station. A symbolic action to signal this reform.

This administrative reform also raises serious concerns among magistrates and lawyers. The National Association of Judicial Police solicited the Senate and the National Assembly. A parliamentary commission of inquiry should see the light of day soon. The reform advocated by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin is scheduled for 2023.

Rallies are already planned for October 17.