The Minister of the Interior defends a “satisfactory” budget, police unions say they are attentive
An increase of almost 600 million euros, but a pause in the workforce: the 2025 budget project is judged in terms of security ” satisfying “ by the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau. He “allows us to continue being part of Lopmi’s budget commitments [loi d’orientation et de programmation du ministère de l’intérieur] », the ministry announced to the media on Friday.
The draft budget for 2025 presented on Thursday foresees an increase of 587 million euros in appropriations dedicated to security, reaching 17.3 billion euros, as well as a pause in the planned increases in police and gendarmerie personnel. Lopmi foresees in five years (2023-2027) an additional budget of 15 billion for the Ministry of the Interior, with 8,500 additional police and gendarmes during the period, as well as the creation of 238 gendarmerie brigades, in particular.
“There is an issue about immigration”However, we point out in Place Beauvau, while the 2025 budget foresees a reduction of 100 million euros in appropriations for this department. There was a ” discussion “ between Bruno Retailleau and the Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, to discuss a “readjustment” budget, the ministry stressed. The minister, who shows his firmness on immigration matters, has made this issue one of the priorities of his actions.
The day after the budget presentation, the police unions were received on Friday morning in Beauvau. Grégory Joron, general secretary of the Un1té union, reiterated his concern for the workforce: “You cannot say that domestic violence is a priority, that drug trafficking, immigration, political Islam are a priority, that we need intelligence… and say that we are going to have to do better with so many things”he lamented. Same story on the Alliance side. “We need a budget for 2025 that addresses security challenges, increasing compared to 2024”the national delegate, Eric Henry, stressed to Agence France-Presse. The Ministry of the Interior defended itself by recalling that “65% of security force recruitment” planned in Lopmi “have been carried out”including some 3,000 additional jobs created among police officers (of the 3,900 planned).
