Description

Has the fight against drug trafficking become a charade? Are the police more at the service of the authorities than the public? Why do some officers go off the rails? To what extent does Freemasonry hold sway over the institution? Do the unions do more harm than good to civil servants? How can we understand the replacement of the national police force by municipal police forces?

A former inspector, then commander of the national police force, answers these questions (and many others) with an unprecedented frankness and liveliness. Combining real-life experience, recent events and rigorous analysis, Jean-Pierre Colombiès gives an insider's account of the excesses of the Grande Boutique. He describes those moments when the police are encouraged to make a profit by making indiscriminate arrests rather than intervening wisely. He reveals the influence of networks that dictate the law and can promote incompetents or even protect deviant officers. It denounces the tyranny of statistics, which undermines the service provided to the public. He shows why the forces of law and order may be called upon to "break citizens" for the sake of setting an example. And, with regret, he underlines how hatred of the police and the blunders of more or less "big bosses" can render ineffective the efforts of officers committed every day to the safety of all.