Municipal Police: Has Arming Officers Become the “Norm”?
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Municipal police with lethal weapons during a check on Place Saint-Projet, in Bordeaux, on July 10. Lahcene ABIB / for La Croix
In France, more than one in two municipal police officers is equipped with a firearm. While this policy enjoys local consensus, both on the right and the left, some large cities are resisting, and the issue is likely to be a major issue in the 2026 municipal elections.
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I subscribeWith less than a year to go before the 2026 municipal elections, arming the municipal police is an explosive issue. The recent statement by Insoumise MP Mathilde Panot has proven this once again. "A local municipal police force does not need to be armed," declared the leader of the La France Insoumise group in the Assembly on July 6. This statement on BFM-TV sparked an outcry from the entire political class, both right and left. "Arming the municipal police is a necessity," a dozen socialist mayors argued in La Tribune on Sunday , a week later.
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