An extra 238 gendarmerie units are to be deployed throughout France with the majority being mobile units in rural areas to address the changing face of crime.
The government confirmed the locations of these units yesterday.
The new deployment will see a total of 2,144 new gendarmes spread across all the departments, reinforcing the 98,000 gendarmes currently in service.
Read more: Why thousands more gendarmes are to be based in rural areas in France
Where will the new units be?
Click here to see a departmental breakdown of the new gendarme deployments. The list is shown region by region, with a graphic for each department showing where the new units will be located.
What is a mobile unit?
Most (60%) of the new units are mobile units, which are typically deployed to rural areas.
“Mobile units usually number six gendarmes,” said the Interior Ministry in a statement. “They are placed in areas that need an increased police presence, either by being present in a local reception area where people can come to them to address problems and questions of public service, or by using a specially adapted vehicle as a mobile police station.”
These ‘specially adapted vehicles’ are typically police vans with a computer suite connected to the national gendarmerie system.
Lot-et-Garonne : une brigade de gendarmerie mobile créée près de Tonneins#LotEtGaronne https://t.co/2F0Ep1zR9v
— Le Républicain 47 (@LeRep47) October 2, 2023
“The more blue there is on the ground, the less insecurity there will be,” Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told FranceInfo. “Within ten years we will double the police presence on the streets”.
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