Facing weeks of protests over police violence, French President Emmanuel Macron has said there is an "urgent need" to reform security forces.
Nationwide protests were held over a controversial draft security law. The draft, initially introduced last month, prohibited taking and sharing photos of the police "with malevolent intent". Activists and opposition said the bill will effectively make it impossible to document police brutality. Protests intensified after a video surfaced of a white police officer beating up a Black music producer last month.
In response, the governing party has assured the draft law will be rewritten. The president also acknowledged that "some officers" were violent and that they "must be punished" in an interview.
In a letter to a police union on Monday, Mr Macron said "I want to move quickly and concretely," and that "it is urgent to act to beef up the trust between the French and the police,"
"[We must] give police and gendarmes the means to meet their commitments and the expectations of our citizens," he added. "I will intervene personally."
The president has also planned for a summit next month which would bring together senior police officers, citizens and politicians at the headquarters of the interior ministry. The summit will review issues such as police staffing, discrimination training and the use of video cameras during operations.
Written by Anushree Appadairajan
Artwork by Zara Masood
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