For great ills there are great remedies. Faced with the resurgence of motorized rodeos in the neighborhoods of his city, Philippe Marini (LR), mayor of Compiègne wants to move up a gear and implement new means of identifying and punishing the perpetrators of these dangerous outfits. In Compiègne, the Stop Rodéo system, which notably “allowed the seizure of more than fifty two-wheelers, including thirteen recently destroyed”, was not enough to stem this scourge.
“The municipality alone cannot do everything,” insists Philippe Marini. This is why I call on the State to strengthen our action; we must have adequate resources. » The Compiègne municipality would already like to be able to spot delinquents from the air. “I therefore ask the Minister of the Interior to authorize on an experimental basis the use of our drones by our municipal police,” writes the elected official. A 2023 decree prevents us from doing so even though these tools would allow us to identify caches and track delinquents without exposing our agents. »
Even more unexpected, the mayor of Compiègne would like these police officers to be able to “mark” the perpetrators of the rodeo, to arrest them later. “I am requesting authorization to use on an experimental basis in Compiègne, an EMC paintball, an innovative device allowing troublemakers to be marked with a code undetectable to the naked eye but revealed under UV lamp. This would facilitate prosecution, even in the event of a leak. »
Innovative proposals which already give rise to reservations, if not outright hostility. “These are demagogic and even unrealizable proposals,” believes Étienne Diot, opposition municipal councilor. What will happen if a municipal police officer causes a young person to fall on a motorcycle by shooting him with a paintball gun? To fight against these rodeos, it is above all necessary for this police to regain its local role. »
Philippe Marini's proposals also leave municipal police unions doubtful. “What worries me is the absence of any legal framework and the doubtful effectiveness of marking using paintball-type weapons,” explains Thomas Baillon, representative of the UNSA of the Oise Territorials. . I invite all colleagues not to take responsibility for the use of these devices without the establishment of a legal framework. Then, we know very well that young people can exchange clothes; a marking made without other proof, such as a video, would be too easily challenged in court. It would be better to wait for a response from the Ministry of the Interior. For now, this is just political communication. »
