(editor’s note) The Minister of the Interior, Manuel Valls, announced on July 31 that “fifteen priority security zones” would be deployed starting in September. In total, “between fifty and sixty must be deployed over the course of a year, starting from September,” the minister added. Immediately after, the mayor of Nice, supported by the President of the General Council of the Alpes-Maritimes and in charge of security issues at UMP Eric Ciotti, criticized the exclusion of the city of Nice from this initial list.
Increasingly allergic to any governmental decision, Christian Estrosi is now taking action and announcing security measures that, quite naturally, have provoked the strongest reactions from his opponents (see inset).
It is obvious that one cannot ignore a real issue, that of security and particularly micro-criminality, of which the weakest individuals are the primary victims.
Of course, a mediation activity with impact and educational value can only be welcomed and is a primary path to pursue with great commitment.
As for vigilance activity, the matter is more delicate, and adherence to ethics is mandatory if one does not want to create parallel police forces with opaque methods and the slip-ups that sometimes accompany them.
Vigilance and personal freedom require a very delicate balance, but we recognize the balance and good judgment of the security specialist at the town hall, first deputy Benoît Kandel, so that the utmost attention is given to this aspect of the case.
Of course, the political nature of the mayor of Nice’s intervention cannot escape notice, as well as the choice of the experimental territory, which happens to be both in the district of Dominique Estrosi-Sassone, general counselor, and… incidentally in her own electoral constituency.
But should one regret that chance has made the two things coincide? As we know, politics is not for the faint-hearted…
The UMP deputy and mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, announced his intention to create his own “priority security zone” (ZSP), condemning “the clientelism” of the socialist government, which did not include France’s fifth-largest city on an initial list of fifteen zones.
“A few weeks ago, François Hollande’s government decided not to consider the city of Nice as a priority security zone, thus depriving the commune of financial and human resources to improve the security and tranquility of all citizens,” the Nice city hall criticized.
These remarks were confirmed during a conference in which Christian Estrosi delivered his indictment:
“Since May 2012, the government has been multiplying ambiguous and contradictory messages regarding security. All this generates a sense of impunity for offenders and encourages them to act, a sense of discouragement and abandonment for national or municipal police officers who are regularly attacked, and the delinquency that previous governments had managed to stem for ten years is on the rise again!”
He continued: “Since the law of March 5, 2007, the Mayor is the pivot of crime prevention policies. He is the guarantor of public peace. And since 2008, I have never ceased to multiply actions to increase the security of Nice residents but also of the very many tourists. And yet, despite the efforts made by the commune to support the state in its sovereign mission, Nice has not been included in the list of priority security zones. And yet, the situation is intolerable for many residents of sensitive neighborhoods. In Moulins, Ariane, Pasteur, Bon Voyage, or Roquebillière, the message is always the same ‘Mr. Mayor, do something, we are at the end of our rope!’
And he concluded: “So, I cannot remain inactive because ensuring the security of citizens is the first obligation of politics; guaranteeing equality across the entire territory is the first duty for the mayor. I have therefore decided to make the ‘des Moulins’ neighborhood a laboratory. This action plan is based on two pillars: prevention and deterrence.”
The proposed actions:
I – Increase prevention
Prevention lies at the heart of the action I’ve been leading for 4 years. I have used all the tools provided to the Mayor by the law of March 5, 2007: warning orders, alternatives to prosecution, local Security contracts, the Council of Rights and Duties of Families (CCDF), victim support.
Mediation proves to be a remarkable tool. Through their presence and listening, mediators are vectors of communication and information for neighborhood residents.
Starting November 1, 2012, a team of 4 mediators (1 coordinator and 3 correspondents) will operate 5 days a week from 7 PM to 1 AM in the Moulins neighborhood with the objective:
o to ensure a reassuring presence to combat the feeling of insecurity;
o to prevent and pacify conflicts to prevent their escalation;
o to combat the misuse of public places such as squares (car or motorcycle stunts, rodeos…);
o to give this renovated neighborhood every chance for a better quality of life.
This mission will be entrusted to the ADAM association, which has already forged close ties with residents and wished to extend its involvement in serving the inhabitants.
II – Strengthen deterrence
Setting up a partnership with the social landlord Côte d’Azur Habitat, led by Dominique ESTROSI-SASSONE.
Its goal will be to deploy private security agents in the Moulins neighborhood every night from 7 PM to 5 AM with surveillance, deterrence, and action missions.
There will be between 6 to 8 agents present from 7 PM to 5 AM, probably accompanied by dogs, to monitor and make the neighborhood secure.
These agents will patrol the neighborhood of Moulins throughout the night. I wish to clarify right away that they do not have police duties.
Their presence aims to deter the commission of offenses. They are armed with 6th category weapons. In the event of offenses being committed, they will be required to contact the national police to intervene.
