Paris | Two police officers on a surveillance mission were beaten up and shot and wounded by strangers who stole their weapons on Wednesday evening in the Paris region, an act of “incredible violence” according to the Minister of the Interior.
Members of the judicial police of Cergy-Pontoise, the two victims aged 30 and 45, “were taken by surprise” around 8:30 p.m. GMT while they were on surveillance in their unmarked car, we learned. Thursday from police sources. They were hospitalized in Paris.
One of the policemen, hit by four bullets is between life and death, according to police sources. The second policeman, more lightly affected, received two impacts on the thigh and leg, but his life is not in danger.
According to these sources, three individuals are wanted for this attack which took place in a commercial area between a printing house and a maintenance company.
According to police sources, these three people arrived near the police car, thinking they were dealing with “travelers”. After the police declined their profession, they were taken from their car and attacked. “They took them for gypsies disguised as cops,” according to a police source.
“They were taken out of the car, beaten and then shot and stolen their service weapon,” said Ludovic Collignon, of the Alliance police union.
The most seriously injured policeman suffered abdominal, knee and thigh injuries and suffered a broken skull, police sources said. Unconscious, he was taken to hospital.
“Total support for our 2 police officers violently attacked last night in the Val d’Oise during their service”, tweeted the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin.
“These acts – gunfire on our security forces – are incredibly violent. Everything is done to find their authors, ”he added.
This aggression drew many political condemnations, with the right and the far right criticizing the government’s laxity.
The boss of the far right, Marine Le Pen she attacked the executive. “What must be done to get the government to take the situation seriously and decree a huge turn of the screw on crime?”
On Europe 1, the president of the Republicans (right) Christian Jacob accused Emmanuel Macron and the government of “laxity, laissez-faire, lack of reaction”.
According to a study published in November 2019 by the National Observatory for Delinquency and Criminal Responses (ONDRP), the national police identified 12,853 officers injured in 2018, up nearly 16% compared to 2017.
In 11% of cases (compared to 8% in 2017), the injuries were made with a weapon (firearm, blade or by destination).