“It could collapse at any moment”: in Lille, the largest police station in France in an alarming state

Tuesday 21st January 2025 06:09 PM

Worrying cracks are observed in the Lille police headquarters, to the point that members of the RAID have just had to move.

Police officers noted alarming signs of instability in several buildings.

A TF1 team went there.

Follow the full coverage

The 8 p.m.

Is the largest police station in France collapsing? In recent months, significant cracks have been observed in the Lille police headquarters, although its construction only dates back to 2008. As a result, RAID police officers were evacuated this Monday to another location, kept secret. But in the services which have not changed buildings, concern is growing.

“I’m not sure I won’t find myself under the rubble. You never know, we have several examples that happened in Lille with collapsed buildings. There, things could collapse at any moment. It’s that’s what particularly scares us.” testifies anonymously from an employee in the TF1 8 p.m. report visible at the top of this article.

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Other buildings showed alarming signs of instability. In one of them, tiles were lifted during the night from last Monday to Tuesday. An on-duty police officer alerted the firefighters and since then the area has been condemned. Under a third building, the parking lot is supported by giant props. A video made this Monday afternoon also shows water infiltration flooding the basements.

Tiling detachments were noted in the Lille police station. – TF1

Props support an underground car park at the Lille police station. – TF1

Images like these, taken by police officers, and showing cracks in the walls, doors separated from their frames and loose tiles, are multiplying.

Cracks noted on the walls of the Lille police station. – TF1

Faced with this situation, some of the 2,500 police officers who work in this police station are starting to talk about a right of withdrawal. “This has been the big question for police officers since last week. They are worried. If there is an evacuation, where will we go?”tells us Clément Coasne, staff representative of the Un1té union.

For its part, the prefecture assures in a press release that “all personnel affected by the disorder” will be able to “continue their work, either teleworking or in other locations.” Studies are underway to find out the origin of these cracks, and consolidation work should start this week.