The announcement by the prefect of the Côte-d’Or seems to have taken the municipality of Dijon by surprise. This Monday, November 7, on the sidelines of the signing of an agreement on residential tranquility, Franck Robine launched “a plan of action and reconquest of the Place de la République”.
Security is a hot topic. When you think about opening the drawer of residential tranquility, you can find yourself dealing with the public safety of a downtown neighborhood whose reputation has been tarnished over time by repeated assaults. François Rebsamen (PS, FP) experienced it on Monday 7 November 2022.
The mayor of Dijon was present together with the prefect of the Côte-d’Or to sign an agreement with the social owners on the residential tranquility of the HLM park. This is a variation of the integrated security contract signed on May 20, 2021 and which provides for further means in terms of prevention, deterrence, sanctions and compensation (read our article).
A previous version, signed on May 20, concerned safety in public transport through the creation of a support and intervention group made up of municipal police officers (read our article).
This Monday, the prefect of the Côte-d’Or, the mayor of Dijon, Grand Dijon Habitat, CDC Habitat, ICF Habitat, Orvitis and Habellis committed to “an action plan to provide coordinated and effective responses to situations that undermine public tranquility “in the HLM Park (read the press release).
A joking prefect
At the time of the official speeches, the prefect approaches the meeting full of enthusiasm while the mayor of Dijon appears a bit tense. The prefect of the Côte-d’Or, who took office on October 17, jokes Bruno Gallot, director of the public security department, who arrived on November 1. “I know a lot more than you, yes, the situation in the city of Dijon,” he says with a smile. The tone is set.
Beyond the joke, Franck Robine was advisor in charge of security affairs to Prime Minister Jean Castex when the latter established the integrated security contracts including that of Dijon, signed in 2021. “I think I remember that Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior, he had come personally to Dijon to sign this integrated security contract. So it was just the second, Mr. Mayor. He was the prime minister who had signed the first in Toulouse but when you had scored points by positioning yourself from the start », he slips to bring home the point.
“The presence of police and gendarmes will double by 2030”
“My goal is to make safety in the Dijon conurbation my top priority,” he said, echoing his comments when he took office (read our article). “There can be no harmonious development of a city or an agglomeration without ensuring the tranquility of the inhabitants”.
At the national level, the new guidance and planning law of the Ministry of the Interior (LOPMI) provides for 15 billion euros in the period 2023-2027 and the hiring of 8,500 additional agents.
“The presence of police and gendarmes will double by 2030”, indicates the representative of the state to convey a commitment from the President of the Republic, “the time on the public road will become the rule and the time in the police station or in the brigade the exception, in particular with the establishment of investigative assistants “.
At the local level, however, the prefect welcomes the recruitment made by the Municipality of Dijon to reach 80 municipal police officers as well as the extension of the night time.
“Insecurity mainly affects popular environments”, underlines François Rebsamen
“The need for security is growing”, notes François Rebsamen for his part. “There can be no freedom, tranquility and personal and / or family fulfillment in a city without public tranquility and without security”, he adds in the introduction to the signing of the meeting of the day.
“Insecurity mainly affects the background of the working class, the categories of the working class, the modest people. It is the cars of modest people that are regularly burned “, emphasizes the socialist.
“The street will never be hooligans”, says the prefect
At the turn of the official speeches, the prefect chooses to tackle “a delicate topic” on issues of tranquility and public safety around the Place de la République.
“I say it forcefully: the street is not and will never be hooligans”, says the prefect. “Noting the extreme gravity of some recent facts, also noting the repetition of these facts, I asked the new departmental director of public security, in complete agreement with you, Mr. Mayor, and with the public prosecutor, to submit to me a plan of action and regaining the place of the Republic, I weigh my words!
Sixteen operations and twelve arrests around the Place de la République in October
“This action plan and reconquest of the Place de la République will use all the tools necessary to restore tranquility and fight crime,” insists Franck Robine.
The state representative then greets the work done by the national police in coordination with the municipal police. In October, the national police carried out sixteen operations with a “systematic presence” on Friday and Saturday evenings and nights. These operations led to twelve arrests.
“There is an argument related to the late opening of night clubs”
“It is clear that we must go even further,” says the prefect, who lists the tools at his disposal: presence of the internal security forces, collaboration with the prosecutor and the mayor, including the municipal police, use of investigative tools. ..
“There is a theme related to the late openings of nightclubs and places to drink,” he analyzes. I think these openings are too late to be compatible with the degree of security we need.
If he specifies that he does not have a “ready-made solution”, the prefect ensures that he does not avoid “questioning” himself on this subject of late openings.
It is therefore up to the departmental director of public security of the Côte-d’Or to propose solutions in the coming days after a period of discussions with the representatives of the institutions concerned.
The reaction of the mayor of Dijon
“I would like to say a word in addition to what the prefect said earlier to say that I support and fully support your approach. (…) I congratulate you [le préfet] of these announcements ”, declares François Rebsamen, thus suggesting that the consultation was more than rapid between the prefect and the mayor.
“I am ready, with the assistants concerned, to open this file so that there is not a square centimeter of a place forbidden to all our fellow citizens. We are working on it, the municipal police in addition to [police nationale]. You are right, we will take steps that will go in the direction you want after an announcement at UMIH, “continues the mayor of Dijon. The Union of Hotel Trades and Industries is the employers’ association for this professional sector.
The problem of alcoholism
Faced with the proliferation of attacks in the Place de la République area, particularly in a context of alcoholism of the protagonists, the Municipality of Dijon has taken measures in recent months.
Last September Nathalie Koenders, first deputy mayor in charge of public tranquility, recalled that the municipal police patrolled the square until 3 am and that the municipal decrees prohibited the sale of alcohol in the evening in night food stores (find the France Bleu Bourgogne interview).
In addition, the half-moons at each end of the square are now monitored by security guards who can give the alert in case of a problematic situation.
In addition, last July, the prefecture banned the consumption of alcohol on the public street of Place de la République between 2pm and 6am. This until December 31st.
Jean-Christophe Tardivon
