Police: Wearing a balaclava permitted on an “exceptional basis”

For several months now, the balaclava has been a topic of debate within the national police force, though opinions are divided. Indeed, as *Le Parisien* points out, officers wish to make the wearing of balaclavas more widespread for safety reasons, but senior management also sees the police’s image as being at stake. The public might feel somewhat unsettled by the systematic deployment of masked officers. On 9 March, the DGPN issued an internal memo regarding the rules on the wearing of balaclavas, following an order for 80,000 balaclavas for officers. It specifies that their use must be restricted to cases involving terrorism, organised crime or the transport of high-risk detainees, and that, consequently, they are not intended for all operations; operating with one’s face uncovered remains the general principle for law enforcement agencies.