The deconfinement at the beginning of spring signaled the resumption of business.
Those of delinquents in any case.
At least two figures attest to this: the 2.4% increase in thefts with unarmed violence, and 60% in so-called “commercial establishments and companies” burglaries, a net increase in July, August and September, compared in the same months of 2019. These figures from the police headquarters are worrying.
The Covid was only a momentary brake.
“There was a trend of violence in 2019 which was confirmed during the first quarter of 2020. The confinement interrupted it, and the third quarter shows a
catching up
of what could not take place, but we will have to wait until January 2021 to do so. a very atypical assessment of this year.
In any case, the level of violence has become high again, ”notes the criminologist, professor of applied criminology at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, Alain Bauer.
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Public transport is particularly affected.
It is 6 p.m., Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette station, in July.
Catherine, 65, waits for the metro on the platform of line 7. Suddenly, a man in his thirties rushes on her and tries to snatch her handbag.
She resists and in the struggle falls.
Her attacker fled.
Spotted by police near the exit of the metro station, he was arrested.
But Catherine ended up at Lariboisière hospital.
Appraisal: a sore shoulder, 30 days of ITT and a strong emotional shock, which will disturb her for several weeks.
According to several sources at RATP and SNCF, this kind of violent theft is a growing phenomenon in the RER and metro since deconfinement.
“I can see it in the daily reports: there are more thefts, more arrests and increasingly violent attacks,” says Marc Brillaud, representative of the SUD union and member of the Group for the protection and security of networks ( GPSR), the RATP “police”.
"Yes, delinquency has changed in recent months," confirms Stéphane Gouaud, the director of security at RATP.
In the absence of tourists, the pickpockets, who were targeting them because they are known to have large sums of cash, partly turn to Parisian travelers.
"
The number of violent thefts has been a growing phenomenon in the RER and the metro since the deconfinement. / LP / Aurélie Audureau
If the profile of the victims has changed, that of the aggressors too.
“They are older and more violent.
We are not dealing with professional pickpockets.
We are dealing with people who do that in a rather brutal way, ”remarks Marc Brillaud.
Parisians are often less taken care of than tourists.
Things quickly turn sour.
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Faced with these attacks, the GPSR works with the Brigade of the rail networks (BRF) of the national police and justice.
A local delinquency treatment group (GLTD) was created in January, after 2019 marked by a 60% increase in pick-pocketing.
“We act in synergy with the police, we manage to pre-position ourselves and quickly locate attacks thanks to the 50,000 network cameras and our 1,000 GPSR agents.
We have a strong increase in arrests, it is a satisfaction in an unpleasant context ”, welcomes Stéphane Gouaud.
At La Chapelle, "it's the Far West!"
This rise in violence is not just for transport.
The inhabitants of the Chapel and Goutte-d'Or districts and as far as the edge of Boulevard Barbès (18th century) know this.
Here we can no longer count the traders who have gone out of business.
Or posted on their storefront the sign "Stop insecurity".
Behind the windows, stories that all look alike, like the state of mind in which those who tell them find themselves: “It's a mixture of weariness, disgust, and sometimes fear, says a grocer from the Drop of gold.
Between traffickers, unaccompanied minors who fight among themselves and attack passers-by, thefts… The situation is explosive.
"
In the area of the Place de la Chapelle, the only district classified as republican reconquest (QRR) in the capital and integrated into the Priority Safety Zone (ZSP) 10-18, the atmosphere is not better.
It is here that Gerald Darmanin, just appointed Minister of the Interior, had reserved one of his first visits, at night, to meet the police, in July.
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In the viewfinder of the police headquarters, for several years, the sector has nevertheless remained in distress.
“The situation has clearly worsened: this is the Wild West!
assures Loïc Guézo, president of the association Demain La Chapelle.
Even areas that were rather quiet at night, under the skytrain, for example, are now occupied by groups of men, misfits and crackers.
They drink, turn on the music, scream, fight… ”
The inhabitants, who are asking for "a global strategy to eradicate mafia phenomena", say they are at their end.
“The situation has become unbearable since the end of confinement.
There are sometimes around sixty dealers around the Barbès metro and in the adjacent streets ”, denounce the residents.
“The fights aiming to protect their territory of deal, add they, are each day more numerous… It is not livable any more.
"
Rising numbers
More crimes
Increase in unarmed robberies: + 2.4% in July, August, September, compared to the same period in 2019.
Increase for commercial establishments and companies: + 57.93% over the third quarter compared to last year.
1,355 commercial establishments and companies were burgled against 858 last year.
Among these, many pharmacies.
Burglaries of main residences, on the other hand, fell by 3.05%.
Increase in acts committed by minors: 22.2% of acts of willful attack on physical integrity were committed by minors between July and September 2020, against 18.7% over the same period of 2019.
Clearance rate
The elucidation rate at the police headquarters for the first 9 months of 2020 is + 1.7% compared to the same period last year.
The burglary clearance rate is up 13.33% in July, August and September: 82 more facts clarified than in 2019 over the same period.