The BPDJ (Brigade for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency) in Nice meets around 20,000 middle school students each year to conduct legal reminders. During a day, they explain, teach, and provide examples to young 6th-grade students at the Contes middle school, addressing complex and challenging issues such as drugs, extortion, or various offenses.
As psychologists, law teachers, sociologists, or even surrogate parents, the officers of the BPDJ in Nice wear many hats. But it’s all in a day’s work, and they are far from complaining.
The day begins at 9 AM with sixth-grade students and ends at 4 PM with another class of the same level. Pascal Podair, deputy chief of the brigade, sets the tone from the start: “I respect you, you respect me,” and tries to establish a climate of mutual trust: “I am open to everything. We can joke, but a minimum of discipline is required.”
With a police uniform and pistol on his belt, the brigadier’s few words have a profound impact, leaving even the most restless students speechless.
Contrary to appearances, during these two hours, a real dialogue is established between the officer and the students, and beyond the uniform, the officer becomes a confidant, someone who can be told anything. The students have many questions: What is self-defense? When can one go to prison? Is it legal to own a weapon? The man answers all questions without exception, capturing the students’ attention: “For it to be self-defense, the response must be proportional to the attack,” “You can go to prison from the age of 13,” “Carrying any weapon, regardless of size, is forbidden.”
With vivid images, concrete examples, role plays… Pascal Podair recounts, explains, and teaches: “If you throw your backpack at a friend for fun and it blinds him, the bag becomes a weapon by intent, and the play becomes an offense.” With passion, he simply does his job and does not hesitate to draw on his own experience when necessary: “Wearing a helmet is mandatory and very important. I’ve seen many young people injured and known many personally, completely disfigured or paralyzed.”
Pascal Podair advises and does not hesitate to make jokes, all the while conveying his message: “We’re not in a video game. If you take a bullet, you don’t get another life. We only have one life and it’s precious, so be very careful.”
Sebastien Spitaleri
