Policing the Banlieues
Fabien Jobard
Abstract
Banlieues are urbanized areas lying on the outskirts of larger cities. In France, the term has become synonymous with a range of social problems, including deprivation and degeneration, illiteracy, drug abuse, criminality, and violence. Among the more recent issues associated with these areas are Islamic fundamentalism, violence against women, police brutality, and riots. However, these areas constitute a problem in part because of how police are deployed there. Policing in the banlieues is chronically understaffed, and as a result officers often resort to a militarized, defensive style of policing which encourages their use of pre-emptive violence. This perpetuates another French tradition: that of violent police control of racial minorities. In turn, banlieue residents are increasingly convinced that they are treated differently, unjustly, and unequally. There has also been a visible rise of social protests since 2016, some of which have aimed violence at the police. The resulting demand for officers to police large demonstrations in the center of cities has further undercut staffing levels in poorer areas, and paramilitary units have been deployed to take up the slack. Violence aimed at police has further legitimized their continued militarization. Behind this state of affairs lie structural trends. These include budgetary constraints imposed by the French state, geographical segregation by class and background, and de-industrialization of the economy.