We have all already seen this grey vessel of the French Navy, with the tricolour flag and the inscription Gendarmerie Maritime on its hull. It is often the first visual contact a yachtsman has with an authority when he is at sea. The military marine gendarmes have very specific missions, distinct but complementary to those of the département.
We met Squadron Leader Francis Hermite, commander of the Gendarmerie Maritime de Brest, and Major Alain Wiemann, commander of the Saint-Malo brigade, to introduce us to their work and his function.
The Gendarmerie Maritime is a formation of the National Gendarmerie, placed for employment with the Chief of the Navy Staff. With a strength of a thousand soldiers, its motto is " Policeman by vocation, sailor by passion ».
Brest base in Finistère. Finally, we have authority over all seafood sales outlets, restaurants, shops and markets in the context of controlling the origin of marketed products. "> G.M. de Brest's brigade has jurisdiction over the entire Atlantic coast, an area that stretches more or less from Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy to the Spanish border. This is a coastal line of several hundred kilometres, which is watched over by a force of 125 men, divided into 9 units and armed with 4 patrol boats.
Saint-Malo "> The Cité Corsaire Maritime Gendarmerie Brigade was established there 27 years ago. It depends on the company from Brest and has a staff of 10 soldiers divided into 8 NCOs, 1 volunteer Deputy Gendarme and a mechanic from the French Navy. For its part, it ensures the security of the maritime area stretching from Mont Saint-Michel in the East to Brest in the West.
The numerous missions of the Gendarmerie Maritime
alcohol, drugs or counterfeit products) and all current maritime police missions, titles and licences, fishing rights, resource preservation and criminal police investigations among others, for nearly 120 days at sea each year. "> Commander Hermit: " Every year, we meet with the managers of the various boating associations to provide reminders on regulations and safety measures. Then, we meet individually with each boater sentenced to a recall to the law following an infraction. Finally, every summer, we propose a safety campaign aimed at boaters as well as all users of the waterway. Campaign aimed at allowing each user to enjoy his or her marine space in the best conditions and in compliance with the regulations in force. "
prevention aspect is important. While the detection of infringements is part of our missions, the prevention of infringements, particularly with regard to safety, is much more useful, especially when it comes to talking about equipment whose absence or failure will endanger a ship's crew. We prefer to spend time ashore at the beginning of the season explaining things rather than having to respond to incidents ."> " This work of training and education is all the more important as we too are users of the sea, often pleasure boaters. We are therefore aware, beyond the regulatory aspects, of the difficulties faced by yachtsmen. ", explains Commander Wiemann, " If our competence is primarily maritime, we know the local actors and can, for example, delegate an investigation to the national police or receive a delegation from the municipal police when such a delegation will make the handling of a case more efficient "
Relations with the yachting world are strong both in Saint-Malo and throughout the area of competence of the Brest brigade. " Most of the suspicious vessels were, in fact, professional boat tenders, so they were perfectly allowed to be on the water. "
prevention and security before being enforcement agents. It is in this spirit that we work every day. "> Commander Wiemann continues: "> On your next sea trip, give a friendly greeting to the gendarmes aboard this Vedette. There is no doubt that they will return the favour, in keeping with Navy traditions.
