One week after the shooting that killed two people in the Moulins district, the City of Nice inaugurated a municipal police station at Place des Amaryllis. This rapid opening, announced by Nice’s mayor Eric Ciotti, is also attracting criticism following the closure of a community center used by the ADAM association.
One week after the shooting that occurred in the Moulins district, in Nice, a new municipal police station opened this Monday, May 18, at Place des Amaryllis, the site of the tragedy. The announcement had been made by Nice’s mayor, Eric Ciotti, the very next day following this attack linked to drug trafficking that claimed the lives of two residents of the district.
On May 11, a man riding a scooter fired multiple shots at a shop. Adilson, 39, and Ahmed, 57, described as collateral victims, were killed. Six other people were wounded.
At Place des Amaryllis, residents have been living for several years with the presence of street-level dealers and dealers, despite the proximity of a children’s park. According to the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, the number of active dealing points would have decreased from twelve to two in three years.
“This station marks the reinstatement of municipal police in the Moulins district, alongside the national police. We want to take our full place in combating drug trafficking,” declared Eric Ciotti during the inauguration.
The Nice municipal government clarifies: “This station, operational as of Monday, May 18, 2026, will accommodate municipal police officers responsible for ensuring permanent presence and coordinating regular patrols in the district, in close coordination with state services.”
About ten municipal police officers are expected to be assigned to this branch office. However, the premises will not be open to the public. The Saint-Augustin police station will continue to handle public reception and complaint filings.
A rapid opening contested by community organizations and the opposition
The new municipal police station was installed in the former premises used by the ADAM association, dedicated to homework assistance and community activities in the Moulins district. The community center animators still occupied this location in the heart of the neighborhood, where residents also came to seek information about their rights.
This rapid closure is causing reactions in the district. David Nakache, member of the Viva! collective, denounces a decision made in haste. “While it is essential to provide the national police with additional resources in the Moulins district and particularly to strengthen investigative police, the municipality must finally assume its role and prerogative: prevention. The City of Nice’s security policy must not be reduced to municipal police and video surveillance.”
The collective continues: “When public services decline, when associations struggle without resources, when precariousness explodes and part of the youth grows up without hope or prospects, trafficking becomes a substitute power.”
The Green opposition leader in Nice, Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux, also criticizes the municipality’s strategy. “The security-focused approach will remain a dead end if we don’t urgently implement a prevention policy from an early age,” states the Green official.
Present at the inauguration, the Alpes-Maritimes prefect, Laurent Hottiaux, recalled the results of operations conducted against drug trafficking in the Moulins district. “There were eleven dealing points, two remain, which is obviously too many,” declared the state representative. The Prefect also indicated that “since 2025, 150 individuals arrested in this district have been incarcerated.”
Four people were arrested in the investigation into the May 11 shooting, including the alleged shooter. According to investigators, the shooter fired seventeen times before fleeing on a scooter and then in a car.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is expected in Nice next week. This visit comes in a context of strong mobilization of public authorities against drug trafficking in the Moulins district.
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