POLICE OFFICERS involved in a shootout that ended with the death of a suspected armed robber in Grenoble have been given special protection after death threats were made against them.
The death of Karim Boudouda (27) after a car chase that followed a casino robbery this month sparked three nights of rioting in the southeastern French city. Shots were fired at police and hundreds of officers from commando units were sent to the suburb of Villeneuve to quell the unrest.
Interior minister Brice Hortefeux said measures had been put in place to protect the officers involved in the shootout after “completely disgraceful and very real” death threats were received. He said these measures were aimed at protecting the officers and their families.
Details of the threats have been closely guarded, but news magazine Le Pointreported that 45 members of a single unit in Grenoble were withdrawn from frontline duties as a result.
Prime minister François Fillon vowed to respond “with extreme determination” to the threats: “The families who are under threat are being kept safe, but at the same time we are devoting a lot of resources to the task of finding those behind these threats. They will be arrested and they will face the courts.”
The disturbances in Grenoble and separate unrest in a small town in the Loire valley prompted President Nicolas Sarkozy to declare the state was engaged in a “war against traffickers and delinquency” and would not back down in its “relentless fight” against criminals. He sacked the prefect for Isère, the department including Grenoble, and replaced him with senior police officer Eric Le Douaron. The president is due to travel to Grenoble this week for Mr Le Douaron’s investiture.
Although the riots in Villeneuve died down after three days, sporadic violence has continued. A municipal building was badly damaged in an arson attempt early yesterday.