Français
On Friday September 27, Saint-Barthélemy's law enforcement agencies gathered at Fort Oscar to welcome Jonathan Quinchon as the new Captain of the Saint-Barthélemy Gendarmerie. After the traditional flag-raising ceremony, Lieutenant-Colonel Hugues Loyez, Commander of the Gendarmerie de Saint-Barthélemy et Saint-Martin, took the floor to declaim a highly poetic "ordre du jour". "Let's stop for a moment, the inexorable race of time, to contemplate the idyllic setting offered by the roof of Fort Oscar, overlooking Gustavia harbor", said the lieutenant-colonel, reminding us that this setting "has to be earned". Alongside MP Frantz Gumbs and Collectivité President Xavier Lédée, Iles du Nord Prefect Vincent Berton also addressed the new captain. After recalling the various positions held by Captain Jonathan Quinchon, the prefect affirmed that he had "every confidence" in him to succeed in his mission. "Those who imagine that an assignment on this island is synonymous with tranquillity are sadly mistaken," declared Prefect Vincent Berton. You have the chance to serve here, but don't forget that this chance has to be earned. Serving on Saint-Barthélemy is a privilege that comes with increased responsibilities. "In front of the gendarmes, the head of the fire department and the territorial police gathered for the occasion, Captain Quinchon officially took up his post as captain of the gendarmerie. I'm touched and honoured to have been given this assignment," said Captain Quinchon. I don't think there are many people who take command in such a setting, so I'm very lucky. "
A captain who knows the Antilles
The Saint-Barthélemy gendarmerie brigade welcomed a number of new soldiers during the summer vacations. Foremost among them is Captain Jonathan Quinchon. Captain Quinchon arrives from Saône-et-Loire, where he already commanded a gendarmerie brigade. Aged 43, father of two, he began his career in 2000 as a volunteer. He then served as a mobile gendarme for seven years before joining the Gars territorial brigade. From 2013 to 2018, he was stationed in Martinique. A territory he knows well since his father, also a gendarme, was assigned there for a few years. Captain Quinchon is no stranger to the West Indies. Even if the social atmosphere is much more relaxed on Saint-Barthélemy than in Martinique, particularly at present.
After five years in the French West Indies, the gendarme is now back in France, in Dijon, where he is earning his stripes after passing his officer's exam. "Road control will be my main focus, as will the fight against drug trafficking," assures the captain. This program is fully in line with the directives of Vincent Berton, Prefect of the Northern Islands.
To carry out his missions, Captain Quinchon will be able to call on a team of ten gendarmes and a dog handler specially assigned to Saint-Barth. In addition, there are two judicial police officers on short-term assignments, and around ten mobile gendarmes.
The brigade also welcomes four new members. Chief Warrant Officer Linda Lamour, Warrant Officers Anaïs Godet and Florian Coué, and Gendarme Alban Liétard.
