This Friday, Christian Estrosi issued eleven warnings to individuals who committed minor offenses. The mayor of Nice aims to make this preventative tool one of the mainstays of his policy to prevent juvenile delinquency.
With stern faces, eyes to the ground, the four adults and seven minors listen placidly to the mayor of Nice’s reprimands. In front of journalists, a first is being played: the warning. This Friday, Christian Estrosi, accompanied by his first deputy Benoit Kandel, issued eleven of them. It’s a way for him to establish himself as the “pillar of delinquency prevention.”
The warning comes with a registration in the STIC file
The young people present in the mayor’s office, some accompanied by their families, are not criminals. They have merely committed some minor incivilities, the most serious of which only warrant a fine: drunk driving, noise at night, or minor public property damage.
Rather than proceeding with police tribunal fines, the warning is meant, if not humiliating, to be an educational tool with a reminder of the law and the rights and duties of a citizen. A kind of alternative that pleases Christian Estrosi: “They have become aware of the risks they face before the Justice.” And if it’s not enough of a deterrent, this warning comes with automatic registration in the STIC (Système de Traitement des Infractions Constatées), the police database. A file that some employers in sensitive fields, such as security, can easily consult. Enough to convince one to stay on the right path.
A preventive tool
The warning is one of the many tools available to the mayor under the law of March 5, 2007, related to delinquency prevention. However, it should not be confused with a legal warning that falls under judicial powers. This system only concerns minor offenses, without official complaints, like vandalism, noise nuisances, incivilities, or parking issues. Someone who receives a warning is summoned through a written letter to the town hall. If it’s a minor, parental presence is mandatory. No sanctions are imposed if the person does not show up, and no minutes are taken during the session.
As this law highlights, it is solely a preventive tool. However, Christian Estrosi emphasizes that he “wishes to systematize this warning to fight more effectively against incivilities committed by minors.”
