I was asked to alter Nice attack report, claims cop
A FRESH crisis hit France’s government when a senior policewoman claimed the interior ministry pressured her to alter a report into security at the Nice fireworks display where 84 were killed when a man rammed a lorry into the crowd.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve – whose account of police deployments on the night of July 14 celebrations has already faced questions
– has been the lightning rod for criticism over alleged security failures.
Having resisted calls for his resignation from the far right, the Socialist hit back at the “grave accusations” made by the policewoman on July 24, saying he would sue for defamation.
He later said on television that he would counter “a villainous campaign” of lies against him.
Sandra Bertin, who is in charge of Nice’s system of security cameras, said she had been “literally harassed the entire time of writing”.
“I was asked to change things and asked to send a modifiable report,” she told a media conference.
“Mr Cazeneuve obviously believes I am attacking him personally. I related what happened.”
She told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper she had been pressured to detail the presence of the local police at the Bastille Day fireworks event and report national police had been deployed at two points.
“The national police were perhaps there, but I couldn’t see them on the video,” Ms Bertin told the paper, adding that she was ordered “to put in the specific positions of the national police, which I had not seen on the screen”. –
Sandra Bertin alleges that she was asked to alter a report into security at the Nice fireworks display where 84 were killed when a man rammed a lorry into the crowd.