Joseph Merrien takes office amid falling crime rates

He officially took office on April 29, during an installation ceremony at the Tour Royale. He now holds the dual post of deputy interdepartmental director of the police nationale (DIPN) of Var and head of the police nationale district of Toulon, under the authority of controller general Jérôme Martin. This appointment comes in a department which, despite strong demographic and economic growth, is seeing a notable drop in crime.

DECLINING CRIME During his address, Simon Babre, préfet of Var, highlighted particularly encouraging statistics for the first quarter of 2026. Despite growing attractiveness, illustrated by the construction site of the new aircraft carrier “La France Libre” and a 30% increase in the population during the summer period, overall crime in Var decreased by more than 2%. In detail, property damage and street crime each recorded a significant drop of 8%.

The number of burglaries fell by nearly 9%, while fraud and economic and financial offenses decreased by nearly 3%. Only personal assaults, including domestic violence, remain stable with a very slight increase of 0.3%. “These results were achieved in close connection with the inspection du travail, tax services and intelligence services, the préfecture, and in cooperation with the judicial authorities of Toulon and Draguignan,” the State representative specified.

One of the major focuses of police action remains the fight against drug trafficking. Service activity increased by nearly 13% within the jurisdiction of the DIPN of Var, with 101 trafficking networks dismantled in the first quarter of 2026, compared to 90 over the same period in 2025. Since the beginning of the year, 34 undercover online investigations have led to 33 arrests and significant seizures.

At the same time, strong administrative measures were taken: 14 restraining orders, 7 lease termination injunctions with social housing landlords, and a request to close commercial premises.

To support this momentum, major infrastructure projects are underway. The commissariat of Sanary-sur-Mer has been relocated thanks to an investment of €5 million from the municipality and €1.5 million from the State. In Toulon, one million euros, funded by the Secrétariat Général pour l'Administration du Ministère de l'Intérieur (SGAMI), is dedicated to renovating the reception area and cells of the Hôtel de Police.

The municipality is also investing one million euros in renovating the canine unit's kennel. Finally, to address the lack of space at the Hôtel de Police, the “espace Mirabeau” project, conducted with the conseil départemental of Var, will allow investigation services to be transferred to new premises.

4 PRIORITY AREAS On the human resources front, the police of Var conducted a highly successful recruitment campaign for policiers adjoints. Out of 250 candidates registered in the autumn of 2025, 53 successful candidates were selected. Ten are already operational, and 36 are currently in training at the École Nationale de Police of Nîmes.

The experience of Commissioner General Merrien will be leveraged to continue this momentum. Four goals have been assigned to him for 2026: the fight against drug trafficking, the fight against illegal immigration, the fight against illegal income, and the fight against fraud. “Without security, other freedoms are merely concepts, empty words,” recalled the préfet, emphasizing the high expectations placed on the new director and his 1,532 agents to guarantee the safety of the Varois.

• Photos Police nationale and PRESSE AGENCE.