France new security law allowed off-duty police to carry weapons

France has been facing the threats of terrorism in recent years. Islamic radicalization has been considered a responsible factor for growing terrorist activities in Paris. So France became so sensitive for its security concerns. It proposed a global security bill for French national security last year. Three articles of the bill, which have caused controversy, concern enabling the police to organise ground and air mass surveillance, while at the same time restricting the filming of police officers.

In accordance with its pre scheduled legislation French Senate recently passed Article 25 of a security law that allows off-duty police officers to carry their firearms into public establishments such as theatres and shopping centers, and forbids the management of such places from preventing it.

Article 25 provides that local officers and gendarmes (national police) who carry their weapons while off-duty can no longer be refused access to places like museums, cinemas, shopping centers and schools, which France classifies as ERP - establishments open to the public.

Earlier, France had passed Article 24, which aimed to criminalise the dissemination of images of police officers that could harm their "physical or mental integrity".

Articles 21 and 22 of the proposed “global security” law allow the police and the gendarmes (paramilitary forces) to use body cameras and drones to film citizens, and allow the recorded footage to be livestreamed to the command post.