In the 1,460 investigations, entrusted to the IGPN, half concerned accusations of "violence" by the police.
According to Agence France-Presse, which was able to leaf through the annual report drawn up by the IGPN (the General Inspectorate of the National Police) published on Monday, the number of investigations conferred on the police increased in 2019.
The IGPN was thus entrusted with 1,460 judicial investigations, up 23.7% in one year, more than half of which relate to charges of "violence" by the police.
With 310 files in 2019, "the movement of yellow vests has led to an overload of the General Inspectorate of the National Police," the report said, AFP said. Of the 1,460 judicial investigations, 868 relate to "willful violence", a figure which jumped 41% compared to 2018. These disputed uses of force amount to 38.8% of interventions or arrests in the in the context of demonstrations, 12.8% of identity or road checks and 14.1% stem from "https://www.aufeminin.com/" allegations of violence against detained persons ".
"These referrals to the judiciary do not constitute a presumption of misconduct by the agents," warns Brigitte Jullien, the director of the IGPN.
The report states: "This erroneous approach makes it even more complicated to understand in fine the numerous classification decisions (without follow-up, note) which are taken by the judicial authority and, in no case, by the IGPN"
Brigitte Jullien said of the 399 “yellow vests” files attributed to the IGPN since the movement began in November 2018, 130 related to serious injuries and 274 were brought to justice. "We have a dozen police officers who are liable to be prosecuted," she told AFP.
And according to the police, the unprecedented level of investigations which have been attributed to it is due to the recurrence of demonstrations, to an increase in the level of violence but also to the choice of the judicial authorities, in particular in Paris, to entrust to IGPN complaints relating to the use of force “regardless of the seriousness of the facts”.
"Inhibitory role"
Also in controversy, the use of defensive bullet launchers (LBD) and handguns of disengaging, which are accused of injuring or mutilating several demonstrators, fell in 2019: 10,785 shots of LBD were identified against 18,976 in 2018 (-43%) and 3,244 grenades against 5,420 the previous year (-40%).
"The media coverage of certain injuries and the reactions elicited by the use of this weapon have probably played an inhibiting role for the police," notes the report.