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Châlons-en-champagne Police Face Mounting Case Backlog Amid Staffing Shortages
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Published: January 26, 2026
Châlons-en-Champagne police are grappling with a significant backlog of unresolved cases, with 9,000 files awaiting processing as of January 1, 2026, due to staffing shortages. It’s a situation that’s raising eyebrows and prompting questions about resource allocation within the Marne department.
Staffing Concerns Mount in Châlons-en-Champagne
A lack of personnel is straining resources at the Châlons-en-Champagne police station, leading to a substantial case backlog.
- As of january 1, 2026, investigators at the Châlons-en-Champagne police station are managing an average of 450 open files each.
- Over the past four years, the Marne department has lost 19 judicial police officers, decreasing the total from 158 to 139.
- The department received assignments for only three officers from the 276e promotion, released in November 2025.
- There has been a vacancy in the position of police commissioner for several months.
Member of Parliament for the 4e Marne constituency, Lise Magnier, has voiced serious concerns about the situation. The staffing issues extend beyond the immediate workload. Over the last four years, the marne department has lost 19 judicial police officers, declining from 158 to 139.This reduction has considerably increased the number of files handled by each judicial police officer, creating a “particularly worrying” situation, according to Magnier.
Magnier also expressed concern over the lack of flexibility in reassigning personnel,noting that “no multi-purpose transfer position has been opened.” She highlighted that “activity is increasing and certain indicators of delinquency, notably property crimes and violence, are evolving in a worrying manner,” leading to “increased demand on teams” and “increasingly reduced margins of maneuver to ensure a visible and regular presence on public roads.”
Adding to the challenges, Magnier alerted officials to the absence of a police commissioner for several months and an “insufficient number of officers,” both of which are “essential for supervising teams, conducting investigations and coordinating services.”
Magnier urged the government to consider measures to “progressively and appropriately strengthen the workforce in terms of both operational staff and officers” and to appoint a police commissioner “as soon as possible, in order to strengthen the organization of services and the quality of the public security service in the Marne.”
Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, the Minister Delegate to the minister of the Interior, responded by stating that “security is a government priority” and acknowledging that “the question of staffing is central.” She emphasized “an extraordinary recruitment effort initiated in 2017,” which continues with the goal of “strengthen[ing] the presence of police and gendarmes on public roads.”
118 Officers in 2026,Up From 114 in 2023
Specifically addressing châlons-en-Champagne,the minister stated that “the number of national police officers currently stands at 118 agents,” compared to 114 at the end of 2023 and 116 at the end of 2024. The constituency also has access to “13 operational reservists.”
The Châlonnais police station can also request reinforcements from the interdepartmental direction of the national police, which comprises “728 agents and a pool of 68 reservists,” Vedrenne added.
The position of district head, vacant as October 1, is expected to be filled in July, with a functional divisional commander currently filling the role.Officer positions are currently filled, with replacements for two transfers anticipated in March. The Châlons-en-Champagne police district will
