France to form National Guard

[ORAC]

France to form National Guard to protect citizens (http://www.politico.eu/article/france-to-form-national-guard-to-protect-citizens-terrorism-attacks-francois-hollande-security/)

Hollande seeks to boost security in wake of terror attacks.

France is to set up a National Guard to boost security in response to the recent spate of terror attacks, President François Hollande announced Thursday. Hollande said (https://twitter.com/fhollande/status/758587556732801024) the unit, created from existing police and military reserve forces, would be formed “as soon as possible.”


The Elysee said in a statement (http://www.elysee.fr/communiques-de-presse/article/entretien-avec-les-parlementaires-garde-nationale/) that the parliament would hold consultations on the security force in September.

Publié le 28 Juillet 2016

RUBRIQUE : DÉFENSE, INTÉRIEUR ET SÉCURITÉ, NATION, INSTITUTIONS ET RÉFORME DE L'ETAT

Le Président de la République a rencontré ce matin les parlementaires ayant travaillé sur les possibilités de constitution d’une Garde nationale en France.

En accord avec le travail parlementaire effectué par les sénateurs Gisèle JOURDA et Jean-Marie BOCKEL et les députés Marianne DUBOIS et Joaquim PUEYO, le Président de la République a décidé que la Garde nationale serait bâtie à partir des réserves opérationnelles existantes.

Les modalités de formation et la ventilation des forces de protection sur le territoire français seront définies en concertation avec l’ensemble des acteurs. Le Président de la République a décidé qu’une communication serait présentée en Conseil de défense au début du mois d’août puis qu’une consultation des commissions parlementaires aurait lieu au mois de septembre, afin de rendre opérationnelle au plus vite la constitution de cette force au service de la protection des Français.

[Lonewolf_50]

A pity I don't speak much French. If I did, I could volunteer to fly for this soon to be established unit, and we could call it the French Air National Guard. FANG. I like how that sounds.


Wait a minute, that acronym would not work in French. :(

[ORAC]

Garde National Au Terrorisme GNAT.......

[skydiver69]

And in the meantime our reaction is to try to get the number of our AFOs back to where they were in 2009

Firearms officer numbers down by 18 per cent despite terror threats | UK Police News - Police Oracle (http://www.policeoracle.com/news/police_it_and_technology/2016/Jul/28/firearms-officer-numbers-down-by-18-per-cent-despite-terror-threats_92489.html)

These new AFOs have to come from current ranks of police officers so they won't lead to police numbers going up which effectively reduces the number of officers available for every other role the UK police currently have to undertake.

[langleybaston]

I know two recently retired Met Police officers. They tell me that the downsides of being armed FOR THE INDIVIDUAL are considered too great.

One was a candidate for Mounted Branch Royal Protection [don't ask] but decided that the consequences of shooting someone [Police Complaints, suspension etc] were to severe.

I think the only way to get more armed police would be to offer a substantial pay premium, and even that might attract the wrong candidates.

[charliegolf]

I think the only way to get more armed police would be to offer a substantial pay premium, and even that might attract the wrong candidates.

Or, arm them all as a condition of service. Can o' worms, go!

CG

[skydiver69]

I know two recently retired Met Police officers. They tell me that the downsides of being armed FOR THE INDIVIDUAL are considered too great.

One was a candidate for Mounted Branch Royal Protection [don't ask] but decided that the consequences of shooting someone [Police Complaints, suspension etc] were to severe.

I think the only way to get more armed police would be to offer a substantial pay premium, and even that might attract the wrong candidates.
Bernie Two Dads cunning plan is to target the Governments 1% police pay rise to offer an incentive for people to transfer to certain roles. That means that firearms may get a 1.5% pay rise, although this comes at the expense of response officers having to pay for it by being given a 0.5% pay rise in order to even out the average pay rise to 1%.

[NutLoose]

created from existing police and military reserve forces

So do you think they will now raise a reserve for the reserves?

[Chugalug2]

History suggests that they will become the primary target of those they have been set up to counter:-

The Milice - History Learning Site (http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-in-western-europe/france-during-world-war-two/the-milice/)

[The Oberon]

I seem to remember that up until a few years ago, the French had a paramilitary arm to their police force. I think they were known as the C.R.S. What happened to them ? They were mainly concerned with riot and civil disturbance and didn't mess about.

[langleybaston]

I don't suppose there is such a thing, but is there an "armed response team time to get to ........XYZ" list?

Are there national criteria such as there are for ambulances and fire appliances?

And if not, why not?

Hereabouts, we have RAF Wittering, which is a long way from anywhere that might just have a team? In S Lincs our ordinary police cover is scanty to virtually non-existent at night: sighting a policeman or police vehicle is such a rare event that people comment on it.

I do not blame the police at all. They are spread thinner than Marmite on my toast.

[MPN11]

Surely a British "Now then, chummy, come along quietly" still works?

[sitigeltfel]

I seem to remember that up until a few years ago, the French had a paramilitary arm to their police force. I think they were known as the C.R.S. What happened to them ? They were mainly concerned with riot and civil disturbance and didn't mess about.

They are still very much in existence. There is a big barracks just along the road from here at Montfavet.

[chopper2004]

Thought the Gendamarie were the closest to a national guard considering apart from their law enforcement role and protecting mil installations plus GIGN - they fall under the Mod as opposed to being the ministry of justice.....

Oh and they live in barracks as well....and trained in airborne sniping and possibly heavier gpmg in the H135/H145 ...

cheers

[RAFEngO74to09]

Watching events unfold in real time on TV during the recent shooting incident in Munich, I was surprised / impressed how quickly a relatively large number of officers with weapons superior to a handgun were on the scene in minutes. Within about 6 hours, 2,300 officers - all armed - were involved having been mobilized from surrounding German states, Austria and Switzerland.

I remember thinking that the response in the UK would be nothing like as robust except perhaps in London where there are a significant number of Met Police SCO19 and PaDPG ARVs on the road at all times with an extremely rapid response time.

Munich:
https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/160722-munich-shooting-19.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=642

Munich:
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/160722155702-16-munich-shooting-0722-restricted-exlarge-169.jpg

Met Police SCO19: http://www.eliteukforces.info/police/CO19/


ARV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPvW6L5T_uA

[Pontius Navigator]

I have seen French Marines patrolling Disney Paris near the Eurostar terminal.

Remember we have had military exercises at Heathrow but as armed police and real military armed personnel on British streets is so rare politician s seem to shy away from the obvious.

Under UN auspices we had armed Army patrols in Limasol; army patrols in NI; what is fundamentally wrong about show of force on the mainland? Scare the bejesus out of the innocent population?

[ORAC]

Hmm, with the cuts to the army we don't have enough men for OOA Ops, training and patrolling more than a couple of small towns, let alone major cities?

[Pontius Navigator]

ORAC, I did think that, but given anything in green is Army, then the RAF and RN could do their bit too. However, as has happened with parades, and as mentioned above, a show of force attracts the baddies like a magnet even if only throwing eggs and tomatoes. Try that in the USA and you would get a .45 in return.

[wiggy]

18:01
I seem to remember that up until a few years ago, the French had a paramilitary arm to their police force. I think they were known as the C.R.S. What happened to them ?

Don't forget (?) you've got the police ( of which the CRS is a sort of subset, and as others have said they very much still exist) and then you've got the Gendarmes, who are paramilitary, separate local chain of command, and tend to be very active in the countryside these days and are certainly armed to the teeth most of the time.

FWIW given we are reasonably well behaved in our neck of the woods our locally billeted CRS units are mainly involved with mountain work (helicopter and on foot/ski), border patrolling and also do a lot of the local search and rescue work....though they can turn their hand to crowd control should the need arise.....

http://www.police-nationale.interieur.gouv.fr/Actualites/L-actu-police/A-la-decouverte-des-CRS-de-haute-montagne

There's even a (Beach) life saving branch of the CRS ..and these days it's probably best obey them if they tell you to get out of the water..

http://www.sudouest.fr/2016/06/28/des-crs-nageurs-sauveteurs-seront-armes-sur-les-plages-cet-ete-2416572-6093.php

,

[Wander00]

There are lots of weapons on the streets, not only gendarmerie but also customs officers - one of our British gite guests on way from dropping daughter at La Rochelle airport and on way to collect husband at Poitiers rail station pulled over by 2 armed douaniers and given a fairly hard time "where have you been, where are you going, why?"