As part of the Ma France 2022 system, we went for two days to Elbeuf (Seine-Maritime) to discuss security with its inhabitants.Territory marked recently by series robberies, Elbeuf suffers from a lack of chronic police numbers.Immersion.
The day gets up, the Elbeuviens and Elbeuviennes too.Some are already in the city center, a tabac bar attracts my attention.Cigarettes and short cafes are linked.Inside, music: Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers.
The sun is coming to an end on the terrace.Bung at the counter, I still start between a speculoos and a sip of coffee that burns me slightly.I approach a group of three men, seated here to decompress before leaving to work.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""How are you feeling in Elbeuf? Especially with these episodes of robbery at the moment ..."""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" One of them, cap on the head hastens to answer.
Oh it's okay, there is worse but there is better ... I feel like people go out less, especially in the evening.The fear of meeting someone malicious, lack of lighting and the slightly bizarre atmosphere linked to covid too, we are suspicious.And it is not ideal in certain cut-off streets.
The others do not want to spread out, so I do not hang out and go to meet the inhabitants in the streets.For them, is this the story of a simple feeling of insecurity?
Because for around forty years, Elbeuf has changed a lot.From the 18th to the 20th century, the city was one of the cradles of textiles and drapery.Until the 1980s, the city experienced economic prosperity.Since then, she has impoverished, giving way to unemployment and social difficulties, sometimes accompanied by crime or violence.In the past two months, the Elbeuvian agglomeration has even been affected by eleven robberies.
« Insécurité»», élément de langage politique ou réelle peur des habitants ?
At the end of rue des Martyrs, main commercial artery of Elbeuf, a man, arrested by our camera, stops.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""I who knew Elbeuf in the 80s, it changed a lot.My wife, my children, even me, we hesitate to come to the city center.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""But why? A hesitation takes hold of his face.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""It's just different, there is no more respect.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""No personal experience in the face of an act of delinquency, but the fear of"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" we say """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""", corridor noises, media resonances.
Laurent him, accompanies his mother in the wandering, he waits for the fire before crossing.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""I don't want to leave her alone, we have already insulted her.Once, a man tried to steal his bag for him too.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Before adding.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Now that there are surveillance cameras, I feel a little better.A little more security ... it doesn't hurt.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
A couple wishing to remain anonymous throws stigma over the working -class neighborhoods.
We pile up poverty and all the evils of the world in a city, finally you see what I mean ... We must not be surprised that delinquency rises and that we no longer feel with us.
But is it really a founded discourse or the expression of a feeling?
According to the Seine-Maritime delinquency figures for the year 2020, from an INSEE report on delinquency, things are not so obvious.
Burglanges of main housing premises: 2,574 ·
Domicile violations: 256 ·
Secondary residence burglaries: 197 ·
Burglaries of industrial, commercial or financial premises: 935 ·
Burglaries of other places: 1,220 ·
Flights with entrance by cunning in all places: 121 ·
Armed flights against individuals at their home: 9 ·
Flights with white weapons against individuals at their home: 10 ·
Violent flights without a weapon against individuals at their home: 35
For example, when these figures are reported on the Elbeuf scale, the risk for a household to be the victim of the burglary of its main residence in the city is 1 in 220.
A low rate may be linked to the various confinements that year.The only benchmark for our calculations, delinquency seems to have dropped slightly on the Elbeuvian territory or in any case, it does not increase.
An observation shared by the mayor of the city, Djédé Merabet.
The feeling of insecurity is subjective and depends on each person.It does not concern everyone, it is a feeling of involvement or proximity to crime.We can do is increase the police system to reassure and dissuade malicious intentions.All this is in progress.
So it was essential to go see the first concerned, the traders, hard tested in recent months by a series of robberies in the agglomeration of Elbeuf.
The reality on the ground
8 am, iron curtains creak in rue des Martyrs, almost empty.Little passage for the moment, some traders will only open at 10 a.m.. Un fleuriste installe ses plantes en extérieur, le sourire aux lèvres, heureux de commencer une nouvelle journée dans ce qu’il considère être son """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""métier passion"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""". Il n’a pas encore la trentaine, lunettes posées sur le nez, il a vécu ce qu’à l’accoutumée """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""on ne voit que dans les films"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""", soupire-t-il.In one month, two robberies.A nightmare for the one who, at present, is still an apprentice.
I remember perfectly on January 9.A hooded man, enters with a revolver in the right hand, a baton in the left hand.He threatens us, my boss and me to have the fund.He hoped to have more, we had nothing in reserve.He pushed my superior and broke the computer with his stick ...
Terrifying for this emblematic trade in Elbeuf.The young seller remembers a virulent man with a deep voice.A different description of the second robbery. Il en est persuadé : """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""on a eu à faire à deux personnes distinctes.It is not possible that it is the same.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
A shop that has become vulnerable by its schedules. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Vous savez on travaille 7 jours sur 7 et nous fermons vers 20 heures.We are easy prey.As soon as it is black, no one frequents our streets.So imagine at this time of year """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""".
And it is not Christophe Duclos who will say the opposite.He holds the Fovéa optical shop a little further in rue des Martyrs. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Moi, je dirais qu’il y a une désertification à partir de 17 heures.I have been complaining for months of bad lighting.Of course, this is not the absolute solution.But for the few remaining people and us, traders, we would be a little more reassured.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""It was not touched by one of the eleven robberies which took place on the Elbeuvian agglomeration in just two months.
But the nervousness persists. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""L’ambiance actuelle à Elbeuf ? La méfiance générale.I've been working on this busy street for 42 years, I have never seen such an episode.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
In this same street, Emmanuelle has been holding the press house with her husband for 16 years.She would like to find solutions to feel a little more safe. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""On ne peut pas vivre dans la peur mais on ne peut s’empêcher d’y penser.When I open in the morning, alone, I can have the ball in the stomach.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
So she is looking on the side of her neighbors. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Je sais que des boutiques ont installé des caméras, d’autres ont des badges pour appeler directement la police, d’autres ont des sonnettes pour ouvrir à chaque client.I have too many flows here to do that. Alors quelle solution et à quel prix ?"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Sur 12 commerçants interrogés, 8 m’ont affirmé qu’ils auraient espéré plus d'informations de la part de la mairie d’Elbeuf concernant les braquages de la rue des Martyrs.
Didier* souhaite garder son commerce anonyme, lui n’a vu """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""qu’un élu venir avec un prospectus.As a satisfaction survey, to know how we had experienced all of this.But after that?Nothing .And when the police take a look, they never get into shops to take the temperature.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""Even if one of the main suspects of robberies was arrested by the police.The global feeling that weighs on rue des Martyrs is indeed abandonment.
Efficient problems, beginnings of solutions?
To thwart and anticipate these robberies and delinquent actions which nevertheless glide the city, there is no question of leaving the merchants and the inhabitants alone.Initiatives are taken, sometimes in the shadows, which could explain the feeling of the local population.Djédé Merabet, sitting behind his desk, returns to the police staff.
We do everything so that our municipal police teams run more regularly in the districts more exposed to delinquency and in our commercial arteries.
He underlines. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""La démarche d’aller à l’intérieur des commerces pour comprendre leurs peurs et les appréhender d’une meilleure manière.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""A sound of bell different from the majority of traders that we have been able to question.But the mayor of Elbeuf insists on a more global issue.The lack of staff on the agglomeration.On February 7, on the occasion of a visit to Le Havre, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, assured that, as previously announced, the agglomeration of Rouen/Elbeuf would also benefit from a reinforcement of 60people over the ""three coming from the coming police school in the semester"" remaining before the end of the five -year term.
These are great promises, we are convinced that we will have reinforcements.But how many police officers will join Elbeuf's territory out of the 60?And when ?The first semester can be very long.
In January, 32 mayors of the territory wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Jean Castex as well as to the government to recall the urgency of new recruits of land.
So while waiting for the city itself in its own safety.The proposed solution?Surveillance cameras.Thomas Caillot, assistant in charge of tranquility, takes us to see these devices scattered all over the town.
Today, 25 are already installed in the streets of Elbeuf.25 additional will be set up in March, eight in April and finally a last nomad will be added to frame different sectors as needed.
Almost sixty cameras will therefore observe the facts and gestures in certain streets, very often passing.In place François Mitterrand, five are already active to monitor the main axes linked to the central roundabout of Elbeuf.A tool which makes it possible to dissuade criminals and which afterwards facilitates the task of the investigators to find the trace and the path of the criminals. Les élus de cette municipalité socialiste insistent sur le fait que les """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""caméras n’appartiennent pas à une idéologie de droite"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""".
The first cameras appeared in 2015 in Elbeuf, the total invoice amounts to more than 500,000 euros for the municipality for the moment.
Prevention as a means of deterrence
Beyond the police and technical means already in place, associations crisscross the Elbeuvian streets to prevent drifts and dangers incurred by the inhabitants of the agglomeration.This is the case of the Prevention Association for the Elbeuvian region (APRE).Ahmed Ramdane, president of the collective, welcomes us in his premises, rue du Neubourg.He prepares us a tea and settles on his chair on wheels.The man switches from left to right and begins.
Before going to the streets, you must be aware that awareness -raising must be done early.The hinged classes are CM2 or third, when there is a change of frame, new meetings.
It is at this key time that adolescents can change character, let themselves be influenced.So, the after making sure to give keys, contacts to be followed.""Often the group effect means that young people do not necessarily seem involved.But we do not abandon them.It is sometimes a few days, a few weeks or a few months after they call us to get out of it, do not fall into delinquency.»»
The group effect dissipates, individualities are found, courageous, with the desire to work and get out of it.The after other associations then accompany them through work insertion, or administrative assistance. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""C’est en tendant une main que les choses peuvent changer.Do not fall into stigma.It's easy for many people when they don't know these difficult environments.The social elevator is almost blocked today.If we can raise a floor and find a beginning of luck for all, then there, we can see a more serene future.""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
*The first name has been changed
