Many gendarmes, after dedicating 10 to 20 years to field units across FRANCE, are reportedly leaving due to overwhelming workloads. According to those resigning, even experienced officers are facing “lack of consideration” and “insufficient means,” leading to notable personal strain. This issue extends beyond a simple change in mood, with officers, often restricted from speaking out, using social networks to voice their concerns.

In April 2023, the court of Auditors announced that resignations had reached 15,000 in 2022, a 25% increase from four years prior. The reasons cited include endless working hours, conflicting directives influenced by political agendas, and a decline in working conditions amidst rising crime rates.

15,000 Resignations: A Contested Number

“This is not a massive phenomenon.”

While the situation appears bleak, the gendarmerie maintains that the profession remains attractive. regarding the disputed figure of 15,000 resignations, “this is not a massive phenomenon, tempers Major General, André Pétillot, heard by the Defense Commission, in October 2024. In reality, this figure takes into account all the departures of each body. As an example,when an assistant volunteer gendarme becomes a non-commissioned officer,it is indeed counted as a departure from the body of non-commissioned officers. So the actual flow is much lower”.

The term “departure” is preferred over “resignation” by the general management, possibly to downplay the issue. Though, discontent appears widespread. A private Facebook group,created in 2024 by Ladie Renard and titled GIE: side resignation,has attracted over 23,600 members in just nine months. “In 2024, there where 8,000 gendarmes resignations in France, according to the general management, specifies the site manager.

Within this group, many gendarmes anonymously share their frustrations, seeking advice on leaving the force and transitioning to other fields like municipal police or agriculture. A significant number express a desire to explore option career paths.

Generational Shift

the national gendarmerie attributes these early departures to a generational shift affecting various sectors. “Young people come to us to live an experience in gendarmerie but do not come for a career. This is the big difference. We find this change in many corporations”, summarizes the high ranking, André Péillot, to the national gendarmerie. According to management, these departures do not substantially impact overall staffing levels. In 2024,12,000 positions were filled,and the gendarmerie,with over 100,000 officers,claims to have recruited more than ever before.

However, these statistics are disputed. Concerns have been raised within the private Facebook group about the quality of training. “There is such a need for workforce that we recruit young gendarmes on competition with notes at 6/20! The jurors who correct the tests are warned, it takes quotas of gendarmes but this is problematic on the ground. These young people are not sufficiently trained. They become voluntary assistant gendarmes,are found on the public highway,in brigades and in contact with delinquency”.

Substandard housing in barracks is another source of discontent. “We are retorted, consider yourself happy, you do not pay the rent …” Recently, tensions escalated following the death of a 25-year-old gendarme after a prolonged illness. His colleagues were largely prevented from attending his funeral in the North. “Only around twenty had the green light,” continues Ladie Renard. The squadron was undergoing training in Saint-Astier (Dordogne) at the time. This decision was met with considerable disapproval from the young soldier’s peers, highlighting just one of many issues.