Colonel Emmanuel Casso takes command of the Gard gendarmerie – News – Gard – Gendarmerie

Wednesday 09th October 2024 10:17 AM

During a solemn ceremony in Pont-du-Gard, Colonel Emmanuel Casso officially took command of the Gard gendarmerie, in the presence of General Thibaut Lagrange and local authorities.

This Tuesday, October 8, at the foot of Pont-du-Gard, Colonel Emmanuel Casso officially took command of the Gard departmental gendarmerie group. This ceremony, chaired by General Thibaut Lagrange, commander of the Occitanie gendarmerie region, brought together a large panel of civil and military personalities. The sub-prefect of Alès, Emile Soumbo, representing the prefect of Gard, as well as the prosecutors of the courts of Nîmes and Alès, were also present.

The ceremony took place at the foot of the Pont du Gard. © AV

At the head of a large group

General Lagrange, in his speech, made a point of recalling the issues and responsibilities which now weigh on the shoulders of Colonel Casso. The latter is at the head of nearly 900 active personnel and more than 500 reservists, all mobilized to ensure the security of around 500,000 inhabitants over a vast territory of 5,500 km².

900 active personnel and more than 500 reservists

“By entrusting you with this group, the institution knows that it can count on committed, seasoned and agile staff,” he underlines. However, he did not fail to mention the complexity of the security context, marked “often tense, sometimes hostile, sometimes even very violent”.

The ceremony took place in the presence of General Thibaut Lagrange. © AV

A rich journey

At 41 years old, Colonel Casso has a rich career. He joined the gendarmerie as soon as he left Saint-Cyr, spending a year at the officers’ school. He was then assigned to the Ajaccio research section for four years. He joined the judicial police sub-directorate within the general directorate of the gendarmerie in Issy-les-Moulineaux.

Also read: Colonel Casso, commander of the gendarmerie group: “Gard is a land of contrasts”

After a year of schooling at the war school in Paris, he commanded a gendarmerie company for three years on the island of Reunion, in Saint-Paul. Back in Paris, as gendarmerie advisor to the director and then to the director of criminal affairs and pardons at the Ministry of Justice before taking charge of a promotion of gendarmerie cadets. In office since August, he is for the first time at the head of a department.

Lieutenant-Colonel Christophe Capsie, head of the Nîmes research section

The ceremony was also marked by the assumption of command of Lieutenant-Colonel Christophe Capsie, who becomes the new head of the Nîmes research section. Together, these two men are now in charge of the department’s security, facing challenges that are “both exciting and demanding.”