Police and Gendarme Resignations
9th May 2023
The French national auditor has highlighted a wave of resignations from the police and gendarmerie.
…
To read the article you need take out a Premium Subscription to France Insider.
A premium subscription will also give you unrestricted access to the complete back catalogue of our articles.
According to a report published last month by the Cour de Comptes, resignations from the two national forces are reaching record levels.
While the government has promised to recruit 8,500 additional police officers and gendarmes over the next 5 years, the auditor reports that the target is unlikely to be attainable.
"The record for the number of departures from the national police and gendarmerie was broken in 2021, then exceeded again in 2022, testifying to a fundamental phenomenon installed since the end of the health crisis," notes the auditor. They calculate that: "In 2021, the national police experienced 10,840 departures (+33% in four years) and the national gendarmerie 15,078 departures (+ 25%)."
The departures are not explained by retirements, which were generally stable over the period, but by a flight to other professions, in particular to local municipal police forces "which attract more and more police and gendarmes." The role and power of municipal police forces has increased significantly in recent years.
The auditors also evoke detachments to other areas of government and resignations from the training school as reasons for the departures.
The auditor considers that “The distress of national police officers and gendarmes is profound”, and even bonuses and allowances are no longer enough to make the profession attractive.
"The recruitment and retention of staff cannot be ensured by salary upgrades alone, the effectiveness of which appears limited," says the auditor.
To meet recruitment objectives, the police and gendarmerie have been forced to "degrade the quality of their recruitment." Admission rates continue to climb, with entrance exam successes rising from 2% in 2014 to 20% in 2023. At the same time, the training period has been shortened.
Although new police recruitment objectives over the past 5 years have been achieved, many of the new recruits are administrative, scientific, or technical staff. The number of active police officers over this period decreased by 117.
Under these conditions, the auditors conclude, the ambition of government in terms of recruitment "seems unrealistic in view of the state of near saturation of the training apparatus."
According to the auditor, a different overall policy must be implemented, in particular the improvement of working conditions and the “dynamic management of human resources."
Related Reading: