Valls tells police not to use tu/toi

INTERIOR MInister Manuel Valls has told senior police officers to call a halt to the use of "tu" and "toi" when addressing people, even those who are insulting or abusing them.

In French, using tu/toi (called tutoiement) can be seen as a way of speaking down to people and, addressing the new promotion of commissaires at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Police near Lyon, he said: "I ask that police retain a certain professional distance in keeping a cool head in every circumstance and avoiding the use of tu/toi."

He added: "I'm fully aware that it is not always easy in the face of insolence, insults, disrespect and stone-throwing and I'm also aware that on some occasions using tu/toi can sound more respectful than using vous."

Speaking on identity checks and his new order that every person checked should receive a "receipt" from the officer concerned, he said: "Count on me to maintain identity checks as a legitimate means of intervention but we must get rid of abuses such as repeated checks or those done without cause, as they cause resentment."

Valls said: "Antisocial behaviour must be tackled, but it is a minority of young people who are to blame and it is they who must be held accountable."

He supported police unions' pleas to get rid of the Sarkozy policy of chasing statistics saying: "There's no point in setting a set percentage reduction in delinquency at the beginning of the year - I would rather put in place a policy of effective action."
Photo: Jackolan1