President's promise to improve policing comes after protests, amid lack of transparency over police misconduct
French President Emmanuel Macron announced measures to make the police more transparent about misconduct, to improve public confidence eroded by allegations of violence and racism, the Associated Press reports.
“When there is misconduct, it must lead to sanctions. When there are problems, they must get a response,” Macron said. “We have nothing to fear from greater transparency.”
Macron said internal investigations of police abuse and misconduct will now be made public.
Macron offered police improvement in the training of officers, reducing paperwork and increasing patrols, he pledged to boost the budget of the Interior Ministry by 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion).
The national consultation on police was notably prompted by the publication at the end of last year of videos showing a Black man beaten up by several police officers, using a truncheon and tear gas for no apparent reason.
Amnesty International on Tuesday released a report denouncing the disproportionate use of force by French police using tear gas and dispersion grenades to end a party gathering about 1,500 people in Redon, in western France, in June.
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