Park commandos

Press, 2 September 1980, Page 21

Park commandos

By

PAUL WEBSTER,

“Observer,” London

Paris has set out to change the image of the ineffectual, grey-haired park-keeper by establish-, ing, a commando squad of “ecological watchdogs” , who have to undergo regu- ' lar, unarmed combat train-. ing.' . ■ ‘ ; The first of the strongarm group,: in their neat, dark green uniforms and A m e r i c a n . police-style caps, began: patrolling Paris’s ; parks and gardens this summer. There have already been complaints that, they use force; too easily. Until now Paris has recruited -a type which. conforms to a world-wide image of ' “parities’.’,; reserving the job for. re-’ tired, people or: mature - womem In fact, 180 of the 455 park-keepers arewomen. ' ■ - , However, Mayor Jacques Chirac, leader of the Gaullist Party, .has been underincreasing ' pressure :tO' Stbp?varidaEsm, in; parks ■? which, last year, cost the city- about ' $150,000. The , \ . a purge -qf : clqchards the wine-tippl-. ‘ ing’ tramps who ’ xnonppolise parkbenches; ? ' ' ■ A' former -senior, Parispbhceman^is?M|diat®e::of: firat 20 W "era <dogs”, nickname -chosen'j by tha commandos them- ;, selves, are patrolling 24 ■ ■ . -I-

hours a day. By the end of the year there will be 50, with another 30 joining them in 1981. They have to be under 40 and . must have training in judo or karate. Most have black belts. After vigorous army-style tests, only one in four candidates is accepted. A day each week is. given over

to unarmed combat train- ’ ing. Although they do not carry guns, their sudden . arrival in one of the peaceful little. city parks - can be.. intimidating. They operate, in squads of four, moving from, park to park in white cars fitted with radio telephones. Their first .targets are. sleeping on '.•park, benches, who are literally, picked up and thrown into the; street if - they . are too drunk to. ■ “We don’t accept allegations ’that ,we are too; ■ ■ rough,” a. spokesman said. “We’‘are. first of -all aforce of dissuasion and we are - not 1 lookingj fot' -a , fight : - t “But we are obllged-to - go around in groups of four to avoid being over-

whelmed by gangs of youths who are wrecking many of our parks, particularly -the small squares. It needs men with unarmed combat training and proved physical resistance to sort these gangs out” The traditional islands of green in Paris’s central suburbs. have seen some

? spectacular cases of vandalism recently, particularly by motor-cyclists. “Youngsters., have been using the parks for scrambling races, tearing up the lawns and crushing the hedges,” a spokesman said. “We have had to replace the locks on some squares a dozen times in a week because of nighttime raids.” -The traditional' park-, keeper will not disappear - as.“he is there to reassure, people', and not to: fight ■'vandals.”: “Anyway he is not there at. night when' the - real; damage .takes place. '“At: . present we’ are watching . out’ for a maniac who has. . , been , chopping down small trees with ah axe," the : spokesman’ said, —Copy- ' right,’ London Observer - .Sendee. .