In the Vienne department, linked bracelets were distributed to several local elected officials. In case of danger, they can give the alert.
Violence against elected officials is a reality. According to Home Office figures for the year 2023, almost 2,600 incidents were recorded, as reported. Gazette des Communes. And in the department of Vienne, last year there was an explosion of 60% of these murders.
To fight this scourge, the prefecture of the department decided to distribute connected bracelets to the mayors. “It's a bit like clockwork,” reports Prefect of Vienne Jean-Marie Girier France Blue Poitou.
Three button presses
Rather, it is actually a security device. Because if you press a button on the object three times, an alert is instantly sent. The bracelet, geolocated, then triggers a microphone. A gendarmerie or police officer can then hear what is happening. The conversation, recorded, could even constitute evidence in case of legal action.
And our colleagues point out that the bracelet “doubles as a smartphone app”, which can also send an alert to the police.