“Total war” against drug trafficking in Rennes: here are the announcements from Bruno Retailleau [Vidéo]

He announced that he wanted to wage “total war” against drug traffickers. On the sidelines of his visit to Rennes, this Friday, November 1, 2024, the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau gave a long interview to Télégramme in which he details a series of measures intended to put an end to the deal war.

After the tragedy which saw a 5-year-old child seriously injured by bullets on Saturday October 26, during a shooting, the tenant of Place Beauveau confided his intention to “return blow for blow”. In the Maurepas district, an area considered a hot spot for drug trafficking in the Breton capital, Bruno Retailleau announces that he wants to put “permanent resources on the ground”.

Strengthening the workforce

While the CRS82 has been dispatched to the site since the beginning of the week to “restore calm”, another mobile force unit will soon succeed it. This is the CRS40, a unit based in Plombières-lès-Dijon in Burgundy-Franche-Comté.

This could remain on site for several weeks. “It will ensure a regular presence and will relay the work started by the CRS82 on the ground,” specifies Bruno Retailleau. “His presence will not be counted in days, that’s clear.”

Another measure announced: that of strengthening the staff of the specialized field brigade (BST) in the Maurepas district. In total, five additional police officers will join this unit. “This brigade will ensure a presence seven days a week, compared to six today,” explains the Minister of the Interior. It will have several objectives: to contact residents, collect information and make calls as soon as necessary.

More resources for investigation

The “first cop in France” also announces that he wants to “strengthen the means of investigation, to carry out in-depth action which should make it possible to dismantle the networks, in conjunction with justice”. The national investigation unit will thus be able to detach investigators from time to time to reinforce and support the forces present locally.

Finally, a task force, under the authority of the Prefect, and composed of several State services (DGFIP, customs, Bercy, labor inspection, residence police, URSSAF) will be responsible for “typing portfolio of drug traffickers.” “Concretely, this task force will control businesses, financial flows but also residence permits,” specifies Bruno Retailleau.

Announcements not necessarily sufficient from the point of view of the police who requested the reinforcement of 150 police officers and the classification of Rennes in a difficult sector. “We are expecting an immediate response and rapid reinforcements,” recalled Frédéric Gallet, departmental secretary of Alliance police Ille-et-Vilaine.