An unprecedented blockage at Gap, a sign of staff weariness
“It shocked the whole of France, what happened is unacceptable. We bring our condolences, because the prison is a big family,” says brigadier Luc Delaplace, local Ufap delegate, the majority union in the Gapençais detention center. So this physical presence on Place Grenette is a way of expressing expectations. “We want security. Let our administration realize that it is a dangerous profession,” says the representative. He points to one of the administration cars parked there and particularly recognizable.
The blocking action was carried out inter-unionly from 6 to 9 a.m. in the morning. Only medical and management staff entered. “Apparently, it had never been blocked at Gap,” explains Brigadier Delaplace. In the recent archives of Dauphiné Libéré , in fact, no mention of such an action. The expression of anger or delayed reporting, on the other hand, has already been experienced by the remand center. As in March 2019 after a stabbing attack in a center in Orne.
Transfers of detainees can be carried out by local teams
The theoretical workforce at Gap prison is just under forty places, with around 25 guards. “We have the same problems as other places, namely overpopulation and a lack of staff,” analyzes the Ufap representative. For several months, the remand center has also been carrying out so-called ELSP missions, for local prison security teams. That is to say, in particular, transfers of detainees: a way of no longer calling on teams from Aix-Luynes or even Toulon, as has been the case on numerous occasions. An additional mission for Gapence staff, not without risks.
On the Digne-les-Bains side, the blockade of the remand center lasted throughout the day this Friday. The blockage was only lifted in the afternoon, indicates brigadier Stéphane Isaert, Ufap representative of the establishment. However, the holding of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Assize Court was not disrupted. The reason for maintaining the movement? “It’s blocked at the government level. They do not want to commit to putting in place additional security elements,” he believes. In Digne-les-Bains, there are currently 43 detainees, according to the brigadier, for a staff of 23 people.
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