Overview
- The municipal police director, in plain clothes, was recognized and attacked Wednesday around 6 p.m. outside Montélimar’s train station by a group of about ten, with one young assailant knocking him down and punching him.
- He suffered four facial fractures and is on a 15‑day medical leave, according to city officials.
- The officer filed a complaint and the town hall will join the case as a civil party, while police have not identified or arrested a suspect.
- Mayor Julien Cornillet moved to speed hiring toward a 50‑officer municipal force and asked the state to restore the BAC, a plainclothes anti‑crime brigade disbanded in Montélimar in 2008.
- Police unions said the beating reflects rising violence against officers and urged tougher criminal penalties, a pressure point that could intensify local debates over staffing and state support in the Drôme.