the essential
After three years at the head of the gendarmerie group, Colonel Emmanuel Houzé will give way to Alexandre Peruch on July 1. He will fly to New York for a role as permanent representative of France at the UN.
From Agen to New York. On July 1, Colonel Emmanuel Houzé leaves his position as commander of the Lot-et-Garonne group, after three years of loyal service. “Commanding a group doesn’t leave you unscathed, and even less so that of Lot-et-Garonne. I didn’t know the department and I will naturally never forget it. It will stay deep within me.”
He will be heading to New York for a position representing France at the UN. “It’s a big leap,” he admits. “My family and I are very attached to Lot-et-Garonne, it’s a difficult departure. Luckily, I’m going to bounce back with a position that’s so demanding that we won’t be brooding.”
In 2021, Colonel Houzé discovers an affected team. One year after the tragic death of Mélanie Lemée. “It was a difficult moment. A difficult moment to go through which also solidifies us as a whole,” he confides. Another tragedy marked the colonel: the Houeillès accident. “We are directly impacted by these news items. I also remember an accident in Barbaste where two young girls died. We carry these moments with us.”
The President’s arrival
“Garorock is one of the events that punctuate a year. In 2024, the festival will conclude my commitment here,” breathes Emmanuel Houzé, who recalls good memories. “I remember managing a rave party where 6,000 people gathered, in the middle of summer, in Sérignac-Péboudou. We were able to see the mobilization of the group in the heart of summer We supervised these partygoers, particularly in terms of public order and obviously on a judicial level.”
In 2023, President Emmanuel Macron visited Lot-et-Garonne to announce the creation of 238 gendarmerie brigades. A year later, two of them have already been created in the department, notably with Pont-du Casse and Clairac. “A third is planned in Foulayronnes,” says Colonel Houzé.
“We are a gendarmerie department. When he came, the eyes of all the gendarmes were fixed on Lot-et-Garonne. It was an interesting moment for two things. It was not just the arrival of the President, but also two hours of patrols with gendarmes. All this is being built.”
A presidential visit that will leave its mark. “More than a passing visit, he came to talk about the issues surrounding the gendarmerie and exclusively about that. It’s the most powerful and special moment that I had to organize” continues the soldier.
A strong relationship with the agricultural world
In a rural department and with many farmers, add to that the recent context, Colonel Houzé had to juggle with the demands of farmers. “When I arrived, I took the lead. Dialogue must exist as well as common respect, these are the bases of a relationship. We had the opportunity to meet, it went well, we was able to exchange and discover their world I was well received and I hope they felt respected.
A necessary dialogue. Nevertheless, “if a person puts himself outside the law, the question does not arise and what must be done is done”, underlines Emmanuel Houzé. Despite the tensions, “the dialogue has always been maintained.”
He will leave his post on the evening of June 30 to make way, from July 1, for Alexandre Peruch, from the general management. He was previously stationed in Libourne.
