The gendarmerie in Lavelanet opened its doors to 3rd grade students from the Defense class at Victor-Hugo College. Accompanied by their teacher, Loïc Ginières, the students discovered the equipment, digital tools, and weapons needed by the military to carry out their missions both in their buildings and in the field. They were welcomed by Major Sébastien Baille, Commander of the Lavelanet gendarmerie brigade, Warrant Officer Jean-Louis Gaspar-Trindade, and other military personnel. The middle school students participated in workshops in rotation.
In the courtyard, the demonstration of weapons included pistols, assault rifles, tasers, batons, CS gas grenades, bulletproof vests, shields, and tire spikes. The laser pistol shooting workshop seemed to captivate the students, as did the visit to a cell with explanations about the measures and precautions to take before and during incarceration. The digital fingerprinting room, fingerprinting, ADN, was also of great interest.
The workshop at the Family Protection House, based in Pamiers, focused on prevention and solutions for family violence, discrimination, harassment, non-consent, rape, racism, and radicalization. The fakir game highlighted abuse through harassment, as well as “violentometer” which details the stages of what can lead to a tragedy. The discovery of handcuffs, the breathalyzer, drug tracking, and other workshops were captivating for the students. A new workshop on recruitment led by Major Laurent and Chief Angélique was introduced this year.
The visit was positive, and the gendarmes and their missions left no one indifferent. It was a morning of defense for the students, focused on different stands in groups of four or five as part of their defense school training. Commander Xavier Debacq observed this. “These students discover the range of careers in the gendarmerie, the spectrum of security in general, public order security, gendarmerie, state services, everything related to public order. It is a pivotal age where students question their future, and this day allows them to form an idea of what they want to do in a few years. This action is important for young people, helping them understand that the gendarmerie is not just about the road, but also involves other interventions, prevention, recruitment, and professional intervention. Young people may not necessarily perceive the broad range of gendarmerie missions.”
[Context: The article discusses a visit by middle school students to the gendarmerie in Lavelanet, where they learned about the equipment and tasks of the military.] [Fact Check: The article mentions the participation of students in various workshops and their positive response to learning about the gendarmerie’s work.]
