2023-08-29 10:12:40
It is no longer a bus that will travel through the villages of Champagne, in the Épernay sector (Marne), but a white utility vehicle with the “Gend’Viti” logo. After a year of experimentation during the last harvest, the eponymous brigade is back in service and slightly changing its formula.
The green light to pick the first grapes is expected from this Saturday, September 2, but the brigade made up of five soldiers and two reservists has been in place for a week already. She will move from village to village until September 30.
“We offer a mobile reception every day. Visibility is important because we have to make ourselves known even before the start of the harvest and the arrival of the pickers”, explains Yann Basso, the commander of the Epernay gendarmerie company.
“The population of the basin will almost double”
With this “mobile office”, the gendarmes have computers connected to a specific network. They can thus welcome users, collect complaints and reports. “You have to understand that the population of the basin will almost double during the harvest. Our territory represents nearly 70% of the champagne appellation, notes the squadron leader. We will welcome more than 80,000 pickers for three weeks. »
The arrival of these seasonal workers can coincide with an increase in crimes, so the unit is dedicated to the safety and prevention of the harvest.
The brigade will also be supported by the Republican Guard: from Monday, September 4, a squad will be deployed in the heart of the Champagne vineyards. Until September 23, these mounted gendarmes will also be as close as possible to the pickers.
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