“I am returning to the judicial sphere” announces the boss of the Bagnols company, Christophe Perrin.

Le chef d’escadron Christophe Perrin nommé à Besançon.

Au terme de quatre années de mandat, le chef d’escadron Christophe Perrin, commandant de la compagnie de gendarmerie de Bagnols-sur-Cèze quitte le Gard rhodanien au 1er septembre 2024. Il dresse le bilan de ses quatre années à la tête de la gendarmerie.

What do you remember from your four years at the head of the gendarmerie company of Bagnols-sur-Cèze ?

I am originally from Isère. I find that Gard is a very endearing and very demanding department. It requires a full and complete commitment to the benefit of the citizens. We are there for them.

Where will you go after Bagnols-sur-Cèze ?

I will take up my next position on September 1, 2024. I am moving to a sector much further north. I will command the interministerial research group in Besançon. I am returning to the judicial sphere to which I belonged before my arrival in Bagnols-sur-Cèze. I was part of the research section in Montpellier. The main mission of the unit that I will command from September 1st is to tackle everything related to the underground economy and hit the traffickers in the wallets.

What state of mind are you in?

I can't wait to get back to my new job. But I also have a little pang in my heart to leave the Bagnols-sur-Cèze company after four dense and exciting years. I had a great time with my gendarmes for four years, but also with all the meetings I had with the elected officials with whom I loved working. Which was something new for me.

Do you already know the identity of your successor at the head of the company ?

Yes. His name is Julien Delobel. He is currently a captain. He will be promoted to squadron leader when he takes up his duties on September 1st. He is currently an assistant at the gendarmerie diver training center based in Antibes.

Which cases have had the greatest impact on you since your arrival in 2020 ?

Domestic violence is something that impacts the daily life of the gendarme. It is a frequent phenomenon. The range is very broad. And inevitably each time we enter into people's lives. We have unfortunately had cases of feminicides like the one in Montaren-et-Saint-Médiers. We have had to deal with some disturbances of public order.

Some examples ?

We had two rave parties in Lirac but also in Pouzilhac and Saint-Victor-la-Coste. It was the first time I had to manage that. It's time-consuming, spending several days supervising people who are borderline with high doses of alcohol and drug consumption.

And more recently there was the Pont-Saint-Esprit shooting…

It's sure to leave its mark. There was a great reaction from the Pont-Saint-Esprit brigade who intervened on the scene. The Psig and the gendarmes were very professional in managing the people present.

There is also the so-called pedal boat affair with a death by drowning in Pont-Saint-Esprit.

In fact, the victim and another person were on a pedal boat. The two occupants were trapped where the Ardèche flows into the Rhône. One of the passengers was able to escape and the other person died. We didn't know who these people were and how they ended up there. We ended up knowing their identity. They were German nationals, one could say, marginalized people, who had picked up the pedal boat from a rental company to go sailing on the Ardèche which, let us remember -the rest a tumultuous river.

How do you view the history of the Bagnols-sur-Cèze company ?

It is a company that has a somewhat personal history with the death of two personnel in service. It is rare. These are facts that go back about twenty years. These two gendarmes are Major Laurent Soler and Sergeant Major Richard Capel. We have commemorations that honor their memory, on December 22 in the Pont-Saint-Esprit barracks for Major Soler and around the month of May in Lussan for Sergeant Major Capel. I have not had to deplore any loss of men or women during my command.

Afterwards, violence against the police is something quite frequent. It is called contempt. The assaulted police officer files a complaint and the prosecution follows.

What has changed in the lives of police officers during your mandate ?

I was lucky enough to see two barracks construction projects come to fruition, first in Roquemaure, then in Pont-Saint-Esprit. The gendarmes' families are well housed. The office buildings are very well laid out. The staff work in good conditions. We must not forget that the barracks are the gendarmes' living space. If we want them to be efficient, the resources and their living space must be of good quality.

The Bagnols Company in figures

The Bagnols-sur-Cèze company covers the Gard rhodanien and the Uzège region with 137 employees, 40% of whom are women.

The Bagnols-sur-Cèze constituency includes 75 municipalities and as many issues and requests particulars.

The most important localities in the territory of the company are Roquemaure, Pont-Saint-Esprit, Rochefort-du-Gard and Uzès. And after that there are many villages whether in the country of Uzège or in the upper canton at the edge of the Ardèche or again.

The company has six brigade communities: Pont-Saint-Esprit and Cornillon, the autonomous brigade of Laudun-l'Ardoise, Roquemaure, Laudun-Ardoise, Rochefort-du-Gard and Uzès Saint-Laurent-la-Vernède.

&In addition to this organization, there are two support units which are the Psig, specialized on interventions and the research brigade which deals with judicial investigations.

1. Surveillance and monitoring platoon of the gendarmerie 2. Squadron leader Christophe Perrin, 46, is married and the father of two 12-year-old daughters. I subscribe to read the rest