The Normandy Gendarmerie has converted a motorhome and is using it to connect with communities in more rural areas of the department.
The van, which is adorned with a navy blue livery, now circulates in the seven municipalities of Molay-Littry, Bonnebosq, Noues de Sienne, Clécy, Moyaux, Blainville-sur-Orne and Cagny.
It bears the Gendarmerie logo and ‘mobile proximity brigade – Gendarmerie’ on the side.
It is the second van of this type to be used by the service.
The mobile gendarmerie aims to offer a more accessible service to the inhabitants of these more rural municipalities. Four gendarmes, including two reservists, travel inside.
The van also carries e-bikes on a rack, and the gendarmes also use them to travel even further into villages and speak with more rural residents.
♂️ Discover the “local mobile brigade” of the @Gendarmerie_014 !
It is a completely transformed motorhome providing a local service in the municipalities of the #Calvados devoid of a gendarmerie unit or welcoming a gathering of people (market…). pic.twitter.com/n5OT3vFyqp— Prefect of Calvados (@Prefect14) July 7, 2022
Christophe Junqua, commander of the Calvados gendarmerie, said to France 3: “We can receive complaints, give advice and propose crime prevention measures.”
The truck functioned as a complementary and additional option for residents, whose local gendarmerie stations are normally only open a few days a week.
Emmanuelle, a resident of the village of Bonnebosq, said: “During the presidential election, I wanted to vote by proxy, but the gendarmerie is only open two afternoons a week, so I could not Now, we feel that the gendarmes are more attentive to our needs.
The van system could be extended to other rural communes and to areas where the population is far from the nearest gendarmerie station.
Related stories
A French gendarmerie officer who refused the Covid vaccine must quit his job
Is a French gendarme the same as a police officer?
Gendarmerie stop five-tonne van overloaded with bikes in southern France
Comments are closed.