Overview
- In a decision made public on January 26, Claire Hédon criticizes the use of stun pistols, rubber-bullet launchers, and tear-gas or sting grenades against migrants on northern French beaches.
- The authority documents scarce written records of force and routine failures to activate body-worn cameras during these operations.
- Recommendations include mandatory written reporting for any use of such weapons, systematic activation of body cameras, and a prohibition when the sole aim is to prevent boarding.
- The decision calls for precise criteria governing the destruction of vessels, noting that current practices lack sufficient regulation.
- Since 2022 the office has received around 40 complaints—mostly from Utopia 56—investigated 36 incidents, and notes nearly 42,000 Channel crossings in 2025 that prompted expanded policing.