PARIS — A new Paris police chief took office on Thursday,
tasked with proving to the world that the French capital can handle mass events
despite the disastrous handling of a recent Champions League match.
اضافة اعلان
Laurent Nunez, 58, took over from Didier Lallement who
during his three-year stint was often criticized for heavy-handed police
action, most recently at a Liverpool-Real Madrid game on May 28.
Faced with the build-up of frustrated crowds around the
Stade de France, police used tear gas and pepper spray to move them back, also
harming many children as well as disabled fans in wheelchairs.
Officials say Lallemant's departure was not linked to the
football fiasco, but Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin left no doubt that he
expects Nunez to help fix Paris's tarnished image as the capital prepares to
host the summer Olympics in 2024.
"You will be the police chief in charge of the Olympic
Games, and the entire police service must be focused on that task," he
said at Thursday's handover ceremony.
Paris will also host the Rugby World Cup next year.
Among sources of friction between Lallemant and city hall,
as well as President Emmanuel Macron, was his criticism of plans to hold part
of the Olympic opening ceremony on the river Seine, which he and other police
officials believed to be an unnecessary security risk.
Lallemant, who was unapologetic about his law-and-order
approach, was also in open conflict with leftist parties over numerous
incidents of police violence, including against Yellow Vest protesters.
"Didier Lallemant is leaving, good riddance,"
tweeted Mathilde Panot, a deputy for the leftwing LFI party. "We won't
forget the Yellow Vests who lost their eyes, or had their hands torn off, and
the other injured demonstrators."
Lallemant, 65, said in a farewell letter to staff that he
was "proud of duty done", but he also admitted "carrying the
wound of the Stade the France failure".
Paris employs some 28,000 police agents, plus 16,000 support
staff.
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