Policemen and French Interior ministry public employees demonstrate to call for better working conditions a week after a policeman was seriously injured during a shooting in a Paris suburb, on October 14, 2015. (AFP)
French police, the heroes of January's jihadist attacks in Paris, now complain they have been forgotten and will hold a rare protest today over a lack of resources to fight an "explosion of violence".
The first police protest in France in three decades comes after an officer was seriously injured last week in a shootout with a criminal who committed a robbery after going on the run during a leave of absence from prison.
The shooting infuriated a force already stretched to breaking point as they remain on high alert for terrorist attacks while having to deal with everyday crimes.
They also complain that the French justice system is ineffective.
"The police, heroes in January, have been forgotten," said Jean-Claude Delage of the police union Alliance.
Three police officers were shot dead when Islamist gunmen carried out a string of attacks in Paris in January that left 17 dead, including much of the editorial team of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The deaths of their colleagues and the dramatic hunt and shooting dead of the three jihadists led to an outpouring of support for the police, who were greeted with spontaneous applause and shouts of "thank you" at a mass rally after the three-day killing spree.
Nicolas Comte, of the Unite-police SGP grouping, said the force was now overwhelmed with a "worrying state of fatigue".
For Patrice Ribeiro of Synergie, the second biggest police union, the problem is "despondency, a loss of the meaning of their job."
All the unions complain about an "explosion of violence", a "lack of resources", "unclear missions" and a "lack of solutions from the criminal justice system".
The police officers will protest outside the offices of Justice Minister Christiane Taubira in the Place Vendome square in Paris, reviving an old enmity between the police service and justice ministry in France.
The last police protest took place in 1983 when some 1,500 officers took to the streets to criticise government policy under president Francois Mitterrand after two policemen were killed by an extreme-left grouping.
Difficult, Courageous WorkThe pressure on France's police is unlikely to ease anytime soon with two big upcoming events requiring high security: the UN climate conference in December and the Euro 2016 football championship in June and July next year.
President Francois Hollande said today he would meet with police unions next week, according to government spokesman Stephane Le Foll.
Hollande highlighted "the difficult, courageous and effective work by police, gendarmes and all security forces" in his weekly cabinet meeting.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Tuesday that "outbursts and conflations that weaken the relationship between the police and justice ministry" should be avoided.
"I cannot accept that police and gendarmes be attacked by people who should be in prison," he said.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Taubira said she was willing to meet with representatives of the police force to discuss their concerns.
On Tuesday at a meeting with prosecutors in Paris she highlighted the need to "prevent any risk of unjustified release" of prisoners.