Report: Police patrol the parks – News Geneva: Geneva news

Blue sky and bright sun: the weather conditions invite you to take a walk this weekend. The political and health authorities however warned the population. Semi-containment remains more than ever in force to curb the spread of the coronavirus epidemic. Walks, if they are authorized, must be done in accordance with the instructions: social distance of two meters and no gathering of more than five people. The Geneva police had given an appointment to the press this Saturday afternoon to follow some of its agents on the ground.

It is at the entrance to the Parc des Evaux that the police await journalists at 2:30 p.m. The group thus formed is more compact than the walkers whose behavior it is supposed to correct. Under the leadership of spokesperson Silvain Guillaume-Gentil, groups were formed. In the one we are following are a policeman from the Versoix police station, another from the Pâquis, a third from Bourg-de-Four. During the ride which will last a big half hour, no infraction will be noted. In this seemingly empty park, walkers are rare.

Max, 28, the gendarme of Versoix, will educate a family – father, mother, two children. “They were told not to get too close to people. They understood very well, like most people, the meaning of our interventions. But some people feel that they are not at risk and that they can continue to behave as before. Many young people are coming together. When they are told that they have to be careful, for example with their grandparents, they understand. But others tell us that they will continue to do as they see fit anyway. ”

At other times, in other places, the police imposed fines, or warned strollers that they were amendable. “It is more difficult to tell families and couples to respect social distance,” slips the police officer, warning, in the distance, a group of three people. The picnic is organized so as to respect a certain distance between the guests. “This is evolving,” said the agent. People are aware of what is going on. The circles formed are becoming wider. I am surprised by the discipline of people. ”On their way, the walkers greet the police, smile at them. “They understand the meaning of what we do better than in an ordinary intervention,” says Max.

Further on, two young girls, Sylvia, 13, and Camille, 15, seated on a bench in direct sunlight, have left a good meter between them. Difficult to say if the sight of the police has its effect or if the reflex is spontaneous. “It’s easy to do in a park or on a bike, smile the two cousins. At home or on the sidewalk, it’s more complicated.” If they regret not seeing their grandparents anymore, the teenage girls seem to have in any case understood very well why they had to accept certain constraints.

Likewise for Josiane, 73, met a few minutes later, who no longer sees her friends. The police deployment did not surprise her: “It is unfortunate to have to come to this. But if it has to be done, that’s fine. I come here every day to walk and luckily I see an improvement in people’s behavior. It would still be very unfortunate to be completely confined to the few who do not respect what is asked of them. ”

At the end of the patrol, Silvain Guillaume-Gentil drew up a brief assessment. “We did not perform any intervention, the walkers behave in accordance with what is expected. It is still too early to speak of general improvement. We will have to wait until the end of the weekend, ”he said.

Another park, same atmosphere. At the Bastions at 4 p.m., the walkers are there, but rather rare compared to normal time. Above all, they are mostly lonely. Here and there, a few groups. A sports duo with a coach. Two young boys playing. Then four Anglo-Saxons, Rob, Simon, Colin and Caprice, all thirty, sitting in a circle. Americans and Canadians, they follow the instructions “from the beginning and have the impression that everyone does the same”. So that they have a feeling of disconnection between “what we see around us and what we hear said”.

Created: 04.04.2020, 5:31 p.m.

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