SUPERVISION OF MONITORING AND SECURITY STAFF (OPINION) 8/ The Contrôleur général suggests that staff supervision instruments should be developed and systematically implemented in the public security services. 9/ These instruments should take a variety of forms, and be presented and discussed on the joint employee-management representation bodies: they should involve development or individual interviews between the employee and a qualified contact person who is experienced in techniques for establishing dialogue, and is bound by professional secrecy; or collective discussions with other staff at the same hierarchical, professional (by occupation), inter-professional or even interinstitutional (justice/health, police force/nursing, etc.) level, for different locations. Such interviews and discussions are not intended to be fed back in the form of reports, but merely to provide a forum for comparing rules and realities, capabilities and achievements, wishes and fulfilment, and resolving the issues that arise here. 10/ Recourse to supervision should be based solely on the employee’s own personal decision. Within limits which must of course be reasonable and compatible with the department’s requirements, the employee should be granted the time needed for this purpose. Line management should not check the content of supervision: on the contrary, within these occupations, which are quite rightly very hierarchical in nature, staff need to be granted complete freedom of expression regarding the service and the way in which they execute it, provided that it remains confidential. Moreover, if necessary, line management can suggest the idea of a supervision to the employee; however, they should not impose it as an obligation, nor should they be notified of the outcome of any proposal that the employee is at liberty to make. 11/ Such recourse assumes the existence at all times of dialogue instruments that are available close at hand for the employee, i.e. near to his/her place(s) of work, and can be accessed without undue delay, under satisfactory conditions of discretion (premises, time slots, etc.) and in a variety of forms. It is up to the authorities to provide the means and to implement them, without any further interference. 12/ It is desirable for professional bodies to support these initiatives in such a way that their members are encouraged to take advantage of them. Incidentally, they in no way release governors and administrative 97