Le Figaro Nantes
Happy faces, even a few hints of smiles.
The prefect of Loire-Atlantique and the various security forces of the department, accompanied by the prosecutors of Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, presented this Wednesday a rather encouraging picture of the security actions carried out in the territory over the past year.
Among the many figures put forward, that of the evolution of juvenile delinquency was particularly praised by the authorities gathered at the Prefecture Hall, in the middle of the strawberry portraits, from the 16th century, which adorn the prosecutors' room.
“We have noted a real change, over time, with regard to juvenile delinquency, with a very sharp drop in under-18s implicated in Loire-Atlantique
,” declared the public prosecutor of Nantes, Renaud Gaudeul, highlighting the gap between the feelings of part of the population and the figures from the justice system.
These amount to 2,974 cases recorded in 2023, compared to 4,350 in 2017, a drop of 31.6% in six years.
The magistrate proposed to read two findings into this statistical fold.
On the one hand,
“better security of the real age of young people arrested”
.
On the other hand, a shift in strategy at work among drug traffickers.
“
The Nantes deal points
which were once largely run by local miners are now much more entrusted to foreigners in an irregular situation
,” analyzes the prosecutor.
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Record increase in prison sentences
This drop in minors involved must be put in line with the intensification of the fight against
the "hydra"
of drug trafficking, which was marked by a historic record of criminal proceedings handled last year at the judicial court of Nantes.
This record is accompanied by an equally unprecedented increase in releases - even if the firm sentences reach a ceiling due to lack of space in prison, the prosecution recalled last month.
As a result of the fight against drug trafficking, the number of offenses against drug legislation has particularly increased in recent years, with an increase of 43.2% in four years in Loire-Atlantique.
More broadly, the Loire-Atlantique prefecture specified that attacks on people and property were decreasing in the territory, particularly in Nantes, with a respective decrease of 4.31% and 11.75% compared to 2022. For the specific case of downtown Nantes, attacks on the physical integrity of people fell by 12.48% over the same period.
Finally, the authorities underlined the
“spectacular”
results of procedures concerning intra-family violence, increasing by 83.6% in six years, at a regular pace.
A sign of
“the freedom of speech”
and an improvement in the care of victims by the police and the gendarmerie.
“This is long-term work, and we continue to maintain this effort and the collective mobilization of all stakeholders,”
commented the prefect of Loire-Atlantique, Fabrice Rigoulet-Roze, on the subject of the 2023 security assessment. Not without praise the strengthening of law enforcement personnel and the increase in the number of foot patrols.
“The year was quite satisfactory
,” also rejoiced Nicolas Jolibois, the Interdepartmental Director of the national police.
“We have managed to consolidate the already encouraging figures for 2022,”
agreed the first cop of Loire-Atlantique.
Before adding:
“There is of course still a lot to do, particularly in Nantes.”