Armed to the teeth

[idun]

On french news tonight there was an article about how some towns, not necessarily 'rough' towns have armed their police municipale to the teeth.

Matraques, aerosols, not sure what the big guns were, but all loaded and ready to go, some sort of rifle or sub machine gun and a 38 special.

We had a garde champetre. The first we knew in our village, was rather fond of 'un canon'. He retired and the second was even fonder, as he lost his licence, (DUI, which is very polite) and the Mairie bought him an Aixam to get around. He was armed, thankfully not to the teeth and I always rather hoped that his gun was not loaded. He will probably be retired by now and I'll have to ask who has taken over. It is the Mairie after all that employs these people, not real police, be they excessively armed!

[Val_2]

Things seem to be getting worse in France re drug and gun crimes. In Brest outside a sports retailer on the main shopping estate last Friday, there was a gunfight in the middle of the day between rival gangs(I believe) and now people are saying its getting as bad as Marseille with many other French towns and cities following suit.Therefore you can't blame the authorities arming the police municipal to the teeth, they have to fight back. Every day in the local papers there seems to be some sort of crime involving firearms or knives.

[idun]

We lived in a city when we first moved to France and compared to my life until then, it was a bit like the wild west, what with a couple of politicans dying in very iffy circumstances, and there being several gang shootings and regular shootings of ados, who looked maghreban. I always imagined that France in general the cities were dangerous and la campagne, well, that has it's own problems too, but a little different.

However, for all there were fire arms,the 'police' were never armed to the teeth. To be seen if things will be any better or certain groups will end up dead or badly injured, could make things much worse.

[Val_2]

I think we need to worry about the day they look like extras from Mad Max!

[Chancer]

They already do around here, it all changed for the worst after the Charlie Hebdo attack and the shootings in the supermarkets etc, now the gendarmes remain in the caserne and no longer patrol, you can no longer walk up to the counter, the door and the gate is locked, they intterogate you on the interphone and then come out with never less than 3 fully armed gendarmes to unlock the gate and let you in, fully armed meaning with a mitrailleuse plus sidearms.

they are far more worried about protecting their own backs than protecting the public or preventing crime, plus they love being in the warm doing paperwork, they strung out the vandalismon my car to 3 hours and multiple copies of about 12 pages all with signatures of myself, the person who auditioned me and his Superior.

They will only venture out when called and the they dont until after repeated requests and most people give up, I see them drive out of the gendarmerie at full speed like the army land rovers did in Belfast.

I called them out recently to a parking obstruction problem, they kept promising but didnt come as usual so I said it was their last chance, if they didnt come I would wheelclamp the cars again, well they were there in less than 2 minutes, 6 of them in an armoured minibus all armed to the teeth one with a mitrailleuse held at port arms, if thats the word for holding it horizontally pointing at you with the finger on the trigger.

Luckily they had entrusted the weapon to one of the few who is calm and à l'écoute not like the aggressive chef who gave me his usual intimidation and brusquement tactics, he was smoking, on my property and blowing the smoke in my face, I would have cacked myself if they let a bullying buffon like him loose with a mitrailleuse.

We even have videurs in Lidl now, these musclebound guys walk around flexing their biceps and doing their most to make their presence felt, if you are the only one there like me at lunchtime he will follow you around watching your every move, I asked the cashier why and she said thay had been burgled recently, the gendarmes no longer respond to any alarm calls and they are frightened of a hold up, all the businesses are on a high level of Vigipirate alert, tonight when I returned from running there were 2 security guards patrolling the Lidl car park in a very visible manner, staring straight at anyone that drove past.

Anywhere else when there is a state of alert you have a large and visible Police presence to reassure the public, here they remain in their secure new gendarmerie behind security fences and barriers, wont even come out for a burglary and when they do they are armed to the teeth.

Since I have been here loads of shops and businesses have been burgled and its alway during their 2 hour lunch break when the Gendarmes wiould never respond even if they werent frightened to do so, at Netto they just peeled off all the cladding like an orange to get into the cash office, broad daylight between 12.30 and 2pm.

[idun]

Do they ever actually do much??

I know that lunch times are 'out'. I remember someone we knew well who was sure that their neighbour was being being robbed on a Sunday lunch time, they called and  they would not come, they were having their lunch. If memory serves they asked our friend to go and deal with it.

Also I had to get an urgent fax sent to a hospital on a Sunday. The hospital insisted that the gendarmerie would do it......... I had to buzz at the gate as I couldn't get in. The officer was abrasive, did not want to come to the gate, did not want to send the fax, but did.

I am not particularly impressed with the police in the UK, but if I have to compare, well, they really are not so bad, I should think of gendarmes a little more often, OR the CRS!!!

[Val_2]

Here in the sticks you can't get into the local caserne without the Spanish inquisition first and then ID. However when they convoqued me over a defamation claim in 2014 they were kindness personified and even spoke out against my accuser as someone they detest vehemently along with all their colleagues in two other casernes. Now when the chef adjoint sees me out and about with the dog, its a wave and a thumbs up. My accuser thought she was being clever reporting me to the main caserne de ville which covers the area, unluckily for her it was sent straight to our local branch. As for coming out, my daughter and her friend were involved in a car accident around 1am on a snowy morning when her friend's dad skidded off the road little more than five mins from the gendarmerie and embedded his new car in a house wall, no injuries but they would not come out at that hour as no one injured although the car was a danger to the other road users in that position!

[powerdesal]

Chancer, just for info, 'port arms' is when the weapon is held semi-horizontally against the chest, with the barrel pointing safely at the sky. To have a finger on the trigger in the circumstances you describe is totally unprofessional and contrary to any weapon handling policy I have ever experienced. I wonder if the safety was on or off ????????

[idun]

Safety on or off???????

[:-))]

Hopefully even after the dejeuner, it would still be on![blink]

[Chancer]

Thanks Powderesal.

It was held pointing slightly downwards so as it could be lifted in an instance if necessary, were there to have been a negligent discharge it would have been me shot in the foot not him [:-))]

The only saving grace is it was the only Gendarme from here who comports himself properly, has self respect, respect for others and no ego to feed, if one of them has to carry an automatic weapon I'm glad it was him, I hope he never has to use it as he's the sort of guy that would have a very troubled conscience if he did.

[Chancer]

Thanks Powderesal.

It was held pointing slightly downwards so as it could be lifted in an instance if necessary, were there to have been a negligent discharge it would have been me shot in the foot not him [:-))]

The only saving grace is it was the only Gendarme from here who comports himself properly, has self respect, respect for others and no ego to feed, if one of them has to carry an automatic weapon I'm glad it was him, I hope he never has to use it as he's the sort of guy that would have a very troubled conscience if he did.

[Loiseau]

If I have managed the techie side of the Photobucket instructions...

[URL=http://s159.photobucket.com/user/loiseau85/media/THkgb_zpsdyl7hqx4.jpg.html][IMG]http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t127/loiseau85/THkgb_zpsdyl7hqx4.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Well, I haven't, so you will never know the hilarious photo you missed!

:-(

EDIT

...Unless you copy and paste the direct link below - that seems to work:

http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t127/loiseau85/THkgb_zpsdyl7hqx4.jpg

This should be your friendly forum banana, kitted out by the KGB.

Angela

[woolybanana]

[URL=http://s186.photobucket.com/user/tagh_photo/media/woolybananasnake/image.jpg3.jpg.html][IMG]http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x185/tagh_photo/woolybananasnake/image.jpg3.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[Chancer]

All looks a bit too close to home for comfort if you get my Drift Angela!

Mrs Williams abode, now that is one lady who would not be intimidated by a patrouille armed to the teeth! [:-))]

Besides the bullets would probably bounce off!

[Chancer]

There was an armed patrol of Gendarmes present this morning solely for me, and they werent there to protect me [:-))]

Have to go training now but will explain later but this article which appeared in todays paper which I was unaware of this morning (i thought it would be written for tomorrows edition) will give you an idea of why they were there.

http://www.courrier-picard.fr/region/meaulte-le-riverain-a-gain-de-cause-l-avant-veille-de-la-ia182b0n572260

Suffice to say that my head is now firmly above the parapet.

@+

[idun]

I am wondering if the maire has sent the equivalent of Angelo and the boys round in the shape and form or gendarmes!

We too had some xxxxing awful Maires during my time in France. Self important little xxxx's. Still if you wait around long enough, a good one could come along, because that is what happened to us.

[Loiseau]

Wow Chancer! The gloves are really off now!

But I think the Courrier Picard may have it in for you too; fancy saying "dans un français approximatif" !!

What an insult! Or maybe could even be considered racist ;-)

Angela

[Chancer]

Angela.

I always see the funny side of things like that and turn them to my advantage often to mock the author for years afterwards, its why I changed my username to Chancer but thats another story.

I am currently composing a mél to the Deputé because I owe him an explanation of how things came to pass, how I did my utmost to avoid embarassing him (I have a lot of respect for the guy) and the détails I will write in English (he speaks it very well but we have only ever conversed in French) I will say its to avoid any malentendus and the possibility of diffamation by my Français approximatif [:D]  

It will henceforth form an important part of my arsenal!!

[idun]

That sounds like a good idea to write to the Deputé and explain what has happened.

I must admit francais approximatif, made me smile as that is probably how mine could be described by those that don't like me! And to me at least, it would mean a person was doing their best, not the easiest language and I reckon made deliberately difficult to be honest.

[Chancer]

Letter now sent to the Deputé so I feel better.

I will start another thread if anyone is interested to describe what led me to this point but suffice to say that I had been patiently negotiating with an overbearing bully for a couple of years and getting nowhere, it was an immense waste of effort ,both mine, his and the adjoints who tirelessly tried to calm him and reason with him even after he had banned them from speaking with me. There was never any doubt I would win as it was black and white, I was asking for no more than the civil engineers had stated had to be done to comply with the code de la voirie.

My next step was to ask for a mediation either by the Deputé or by La Halde, then came an invitation to attend the inauguration as a riverain and commerçant, in fact he had stipulated that Under no circumstances was I to be invited but someone conveniently made a mistake and delivered one to me, how Lucky was that? [;-)]

I knew it was an opportunity not to be missed, his fear of the media and his tendancy to fail to engage his brain when asked for a quote was his achilles heel, so with that in mind and because I really did not want to create a scene in front of the élus, the première adjoint and  one other took him to one side to try and persuade him to recommence a dialogue, they said that I was very strong with the media, with the deputé and with the Halde (all true) and that I had had a big slogan T shirt printed for the occasion and intended to be photographed in front of all the Elus when the ribbon was cut.

The reply I got was "Il m'a dit que cela ne le pertuberait  pas" I now realise that meant he had asked for a patrol of the Gendarmes to be present to prevent me. In any case having had time to reflect he threw in the towel and turned up on my doorstep at 8am the morning of my meeting with the journalist together with the head civil engineer, the traçage was done that very same day completely conforming to the code de la voirie and in accordance with the drawings.

So I explained everything to the journaliste, said that my issue wasn't the roadworks, that I always knew that I would win eventually but the problem was the comportment of the Maire, she had written several articles previously, I told her that I knew that I could not tell her what to print and what not to print, that I now had nothing to gain but everything to lose but nonetheless having won the battle I would continue the war, I told her that I trusted her to use her discretion and  write a truthfull article and she didnt let me down!

When I went this morning I was unaware of the article, I thought if they did anything it would be in tomorrows edition, everyone else knew of it and had read it, the deputé made some ad hoc jokes about it at the end of his speech which I didnt understand at the time. The Maire was fuming having read ithe article at 6am, he said to me through gritted teeth "you see the gendarmes there? _ they are here to take care of you!" I laughed and said that it was a great compliment.

When the ribbon was cut they discreetly and unobtrusively squeezed up on either side of me.

I actually wore the T shirt under my shirt and jacket, nobody knew it was there unless I gave them a peek, when the ribbon was cut and the photo taken I asked myself would I have had the courage to have gone through with it?

Wearing the T shirt with the gendarmes either side of me gave me a hard on [:-))] good job they didnt see it or they might have said "Ees that a gun you are carrying monsieur or are you just pleased to see me?" [:P]

[Chancer]

I got another mention today, any publicity is good publicity unless you are a Maire fermé [;-)]

http://www.courrier-picard.fr/region/la-rd329-inauguree-sans-vague-a-meaulte-ia182b0n572903

I had to switch to another browser to read this as it said I had viewed my limit of pages for the month, if you cannot read it I will copier coller the words.

Seemingly I am sage!

[woolybanana]

There is a salutory lesson in Chancer's tale which we should all note, perhaps. Whilst most mayors remain perfectly decent people, keen only to serve there communities well, there is a small number who are most unpleasant and who will interpret the rules subjectively and bully their constituents to the maximum..

I am not sure that is a party political thing but it might be so with the FN, but it is just an urge to dominate and get their own way; there are many ways, both official and unofficial for them to get their own way.

One favourite is to redesignate land use thus changing the value, either in favour or against someone; the old trick was to favour friends or family in this way but that can be too visible, so they insist on bizarre interpretations of regulations.

My nasty neighbour has fought a five year battle with the local mayor to get his land developed and has won hands down, but only by going to court again and again - the details are too tedious. Things are quiet for the moment, too quiet, as I am sure the mayor is preparing a 'coup'.

And they can bear grudges, so watch it Chancer; if you end up in a ditch one night, we shall have an idea of who ordered the hit.

[idun]

I don't believe it is a political thing, for the 25 years we were in our village we had right wing and left wing Maires and ONLY one decent one, who was and is still a good man.

And that ofcourse poses the question of why they put themselves forward for the local council to start with. Good intentions, initially, I would hope so, I would really like to hope so. But once in power, then things changed, or sadly; maybe their true characters came out.

The first one we dealt with was the one who authorised our lotissement and it should not have passed muster to start with, at all. (We were young, naieve and not much french at the time, however, that is my excuse, the few other houses were built by french people!) When we had problems and complained, he suggested that the Mairie could put the things right for the price of a house, the few of us on the little estate, all of us had horrific mortgages at the time had no money for such things, so we ended up, bit by bit, sorting things out ourselves.

He was left wing, and knew the sort of person I was dealing with after that meeting.

Then we had right wing ones who were terrible....... and so it went on, including the abysmal left wing one getting back in.

Used to amuse and irritate me no end when I'd see people on this board saying that they were going to introduce themselves to the Maire of their new commune and perhaps offer a bottle. This having no idea as to what sort of person they were dealing with. I'm pleased that that 'notion' never entered my head as I would have cursed myself for ever and a day to have given that rogue anything at all! And the last Maire we had was just as bad but in a different way, vile man.

[NormanH]

http://www.liberation.fr/politiques/2015/03/20/police-municipale-robert-menard-sort-l-artillerie-lourde_1225042

We do have mounted Police as well now though

[Chancer]

I'm not even sure à la base that the Maire is a bad guy, by local standards, he is no more ignorant and mean spirited than many, he is a dreadfull communicator because he is incapable of letting anyone speak for more than 3 seconds without shouting them down, browbeating them, verbally and physically intimidating them, he has done it all his life and no-one until me has stood up to him, he thinks its normal and there are many many like him around here, the big difference with him is even when he is humiliated after being shouted at by the 1ière adjoint, the calmest man I have ever known, when he has been told forcefully by him to calm down or this will get nowhere as usual, when he is physically restrained and the lady adjoint puts a finger to his mouth every time he tries to shout, after I have already bent his finger double when he shoved it in my face, after all that I may get to say what I have attempted already numerous times but he doesnt actually hear a word of it.

And I never cease to provoke him by saying that in his tracte electorale, which I delivered for him to support him, he says he is "à l'ecoute" [:-))]

The 1ière adjoint is sick of him and its making him quite ill, he says that 95% of the Conseil municipale are also but none of them have any balls, the adjoint is a superb communicator, it was his métier and even though he (and all the others) has been banned from speaking to me he and selected others do so clandestinely, I for my part go along and ask awkward questions at the public meeting (often given to me by the adjoints) so that they will be published in the comptes rendus, took him ages to realise that after confirming in public that the questions hereonin would figure in the minutes he had shot himself in the foot and he has now found a way to have them all removed and to ban me from asking any more.

He does not understand the value of good communication nor the dangers putting his mouth in gear without engaging his brain, were I in his shoes and asked for my comment for the article that put me in a bad light I would simply have said "M. Chancer is mistaken, I have always confirmed to him that the road marking would be done in accordance with the normes and his wishes but that it was delayed due to the winter conditions (all a total lie but plausible) the misunderstanding probably came about because the discussions we had were not in his mother tongue, I reproach myself for not ascertaining that he had understood 100% of what had been said on a subject of such importance to him, te wont let this happen again"

Even without knowing the détails his response says it all, the journalists tell me he is always braqué with them (I gambled on his fear of them being his tendon d'Achille) and the muppet is now demanding a retraction of the only thing that he thinks is wrong, that I have only been complaining for one not two years, in fact its longer than two, I then will be able to correct pretty much every thing that he has said which is either plain wrong or a gross exaggeration, frankly I hope he sees sense because each time he shoots himself in the foot its more bad feeling towards me.