French Universities Strengthen Security

Translated by Nina Fink, Marine Miller Publié le
French Universities Strengthen Security
While schools reinforced screening in the days after the attacks, some of them cannot or simply do not want to maintain that level of security. // ©  Pascal SITTLER/REA
One year after the Charlie Hebdo attack and two months after the November 13th shootings, French universities have adapted their security measures to meet new government requirements. From entrance checkpoints to video surveillance and security audits with the police prefecture, the new measures are both numerous and costly. How long will French schools be able to maintain them ?

Since the November attacks, many French schools, including the University of Nîmes, have instituted an ID and bag check. According to university President Emmanuel Roux, “Students, professors, guest lecturers, administrative staff – everyone has accepted and adapted to the new measures very quickly. We will maintain them until the government decrees otherwise.”

At the University of Cergy-Pontoise, President François Germinet reports, “For three weeks after the attacks, we used a screening process. We decreased the number of campus access passes and hired a security company to check bags and IDs.”

Police Partnerships

The Ministry of National Education issued a circular that “requires universities to conduct a security audit with the police by March.” In St.-Denis, University of Paris 8 President Danielle Tartakowsky says, “Many colleagues have requested more security and surveillance on campus. Some were upset that they weren’t inspected at the parking lot. For certain staff, this is a real paradigm shift. We are already used to working with [the police], given the security issues on our St.-Denis campus.”

Resisting Fear

While schools reinforced screening in the days after the attacks, some of them cannot or simply do not want to maintain that level of security. François Germinet explains, “We shouldn’t barricade universities. They can’t become fortresses. You can’t live under total security, dreading the next attack.” Instead, he favors community vigilance.

Funding Matters

The new measures do not come for free. For Paul Valéry University in Montpellier, which just broke free of a three-year deficit, these measures are hard to sustain. The University of Paris 8 currently has a €750 thousand security budget. Tartakowsky notes, “If these measures are maintained, they could cost us up to €1.35 million per year. That’s money that we can’t invest in education or research.” The government has allocated €6 million to strengthen security at 70 French universities. It remains to be seen if that sum will suffice.

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Translated by Nina Fink, Marine Miller | Publié le