The police and the music festivals
This paper examines the way military and civilian police bill their services to musical event organisers, particularly festivals, in France. In this country, the State holds a preeminent position in the managing of public order, with military and civilian police. The compensation of their services testifies to the discretionary power of the prefect, who represents the State, in establishing the invoice (or avoiding to). By varying the number of police forces and the amount of the compensation, prefects influence the relationship between law enforcement and the people they serve. This billing is strongly opposed by festival organisers. In the case of the billing of police services during music events, on who is this discretionary power used and with what effects? And what does the strict implementation of the billing, or on the contrary, the allocation of special favours by the prefects reveal of the relationships between the State, the police and society? These questions are answered by drawing on qualitative material, combining interviews, ethnographic data and diverse documentary sources. The analysis of the differential use of the billing sheds light on the role that the territories’ characteristics, as well as the prefectural representations of musical events and their audiences play in the definition of the security measures. In addition, the way professional territories are defined and the State’s monopoly in the exercise of legitimate violence hinders dialogue between organizers and prefects on the implementation of security measures.