Paris 2024 Olympics: postponed holidays, unclear logistics… The discontent of the police and gendarmes of Tarn

Several Tarn police officers are expected in Marseille on May 8, when the Olympic flame arrives, to help secure the event. This will be the start of the mobilization for the department’s law enforcement officers. “We are going to strengthen departments in the southern zone for the passage of the flame,” indicates Patrick Batigne, departmental delegate of the Alliance Police union.

If the bulk of the Tarn troops will only go to Paris for the duration of the Olympic Games, from July 26 to August 11, some will arrive from the second week of July, while others will ensure the security of the Paralympic Games, from August 28 to 8 september. How many police officers and gendarmes from Tarn will be mobilized in total this summer? Around 15% of the workforce, announced prefect Michel Vilbois to the press, which would represent around a hundred people. “Out of around 400 police officers, we mobilized nearly 25% of the Tarn workforce,” indicates Rémi Fernandez, departmental delegate of the Un1té police union.

According to the Tarn prefecture, this mobilization of police officers and gendarmes in Paris will have no impact on the ground for the inhabitants of the department. Including with regard to the A69, while tensions have increased in recent weeks between the police and the radical fringe of opponents. “Safety will continue to be ensured and specific national resources remain available for specific events, the issue of the A69 being perfectly identified at national level as a priority in this area,” explained Michel Vilbois. For daily activity, leave restrictions should make it possible to compensate for absences across the department. Which arouses discontent among the police and the gendarmes.

Postponement of leave

“No leave is granted during the three weeks of the Olympics, this is what the Ministry of the Interior has decided,” explains Rémi Fernandez. “Apart from this period, each police officer is entitled to two weeks of leave between June 8 and September 8, but not necessarily consecutive. Which poses problems at the family level.” The situation is similar for the police.

In order to compensate for this “exceptional effort” required of the police, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin promised financial compensation: a bonus of €1,000 for the police officers and gendarmes who will work in the Tarn during the three weeks of Olympic Games, or €1,600 for those who will go up to Paris. “Missional absence compensation”, in the amount of €50 per night, must also be paid to those who stay more than 5 consecutive days on mission.

The unions were concerned about a possible backtracking by the government on these bonuses. Especially since the mobilization of police officers was initially done on a voluntary basis. “The promised bonuses attracted a lot of people, especially young colleagues,” explains the Un1té union delegate. To fill the gaps, “others were strongly encouraged to volunteer,” adds Patrick Batigne.

Transportation and accommodation

But the pressure from the unions, who have mobilized in recent days, seems to have borne fruit: the first bonuses were finally published in the Official Journal this Friday, April 26. The question of logistics remains for the police sent to the Olympics. “Housing is the big question mark. We still don’t know where and how we will be accommodated in Paris,” underlines Rémi Fernandez. “We were told that the police officers will be housed in hotels but we don’t know more,” adds Patrick Batigne.

Another concern: transportation. The first wave of police officers will leave Tarn at the beginning of July with service vehicles. “The next ones would go either by train or by bus, we don’t know yet. We were even told at the beginning that we would have to advance the costs…”, reports Rémi Fernandez. “It’s in the process of being set up, we hope that everything will go well,” concludes Patrick Batigne.