Le Figaro Nantes
This Rezéen still remembers that end of the day when, returning home, he found his house upside down.
“It’s shock and anger.
It’s like entering into people’s privacy
,” recalls Cédric Monnet.
This never-elucidated event then pushed him to create a Facebook group entitled “Attentive neighbors in Rezé”, in 2021.
“I realized that many other people were affected by the burglaries”
, explains this resident of this town of Loire-Atlantique located on the edge of Nantes.
A year later, the city rose to first place in a
Figaro
ranking of the 444 cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants most targeted by thugs.
“It is undeniable that there was
an extremely significant peak in burglaries in
Rezé
in 2020 ,” recognizes Jean-Christophe Faës, deputy in charge of prevention, delinquency and public peace in the city with a population of 44,000. souls.
However, on this winter day with a spring feel, the blue sky goes hand in hand with the encouraging results revealed a month earlier by the municipality.
In a press release, the City reported a drop in break-ins, their long-term benchmark for measuring these unbearable facts.
Their number
“was divided by 2.3 between 2020 (historic peak with 848 incidents) and 2023 (367 incidents observed)”
.
The elected official immerses himself in his archives:
“I went back to 2015. We have never had such a low figure
,” he rejoices.
According to the national police, this decrease mainly affects homes.
Considering only main residences, in three years, break-ins have gone from 649 to 181 incidents.
Jean-Christophe Faës, deputy in charge of crime prevention and public peace, in Rezé, January 31, 2024. LT/Le Figaro
Read alsoIn Rezé, local residents’ collectives against burglaries
Squat dismantling
“We had a delinquency of burglaries which was essentially generated by individuals living in squats
,” comments Nicolas Jolibois, interdepartmental director of the national police.
The city's various left-wing elected officials also remember the prosecutor's speech which indicated at the time
"that there was a shift in burglaries from the center of Nantes to Rezé, following a reinforcement of police patrols in Nantes »
.
According to him, these comments should be taken with a grain of salt because only
“10 to 15% of the facts are elucidated”
.
One of the first actions of the municipal team was therefore
“to request resources”
from the State.
“Many residents told us that they had been burglarized but that there was not always a trip from the scientific police
. ”
A lot of in-depth work was undertaken by the national police:
“Specialized brigades invaded suburban streets and squats.
Always in contact with the prosecution
,” reports a police source.
“With the sector police station and departmental security, we dismantled quite a few squats
,” adds Nicolas Jolibois, the head of the Loire-Atlantique police.
An increased presence which has borne fruit, according to this Rezéenne interviewed by
Le Figaro
.
“We see them a little more
,” she confirms about the police.
Even if everything is not perfect: the police captain of the sector station is due to arrive on March 1 while his predecessor left in September.
Another force began to reassure the Rezéens: the creation of a municipal police force.
In March 2023, this decision was ratified after a referendum among the population: more than 70% supported this installation.
Three staff have already been recruited, but two of them are preparing to leave for six months of training.
Three others must be hired, as quickly as possible, even if finding staff sometimes proves difficult.
If they are not armed, the goal is for these agents to occupy public space over a wide range, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To this will be added the opening of a center for prevention and public peace in 2025.
Also read: Burglaries: do you live in a risk area?
Decrease in delinquency
The last pillar in the fight against the scourge of theft remains the population.
Neighbors organized themselves into networks through WhatsApp groups by designating a referent, a privileged contact for the police.
At the end of 2021, a citizens' conference also brought together 23 randomly selected participants, drafting 65 recommendations to improve public tranquility in the municipality.
At the same time, an independent collective entitled “Stop insecurity in Rezé” also launched a report.
The collective emerged
“at the moment when things were becoming unbearable.
The idea was to prevent people from slipping into self-defense, which ultimately is not the solution
,” says Yves Madeline, the initiator.
Today,
“the collective survives”
.
“The figures have improved but we are far from saying that that’s it, everything is rosy [...]
The speed of the municipal reaction is not that of the burglars
,” he tackles.
“I am not surprised by the decrease in burglaries. We were coming from very far away. It could hardly be complicated to do more. Also, people have equipped themselves with alarms
,” adds administrator Cédric Monnet.
Today, on the Facebook group he runs,
“the publications have evolved.
These are no longer necessarily burglaries but people who, for example, have lost a dog
.
“We know that burglaries generate a very significant feeling of insecurity. It takes time to reassure people even if the figures have fortunately become more acceptable
,” underlines Jean-Christophe Faës.
Overall,
“delinquency figures are down in Rezé, except for caravan thefts where we remain vigilant”
.
“General delinquency fell by -6.70% this year.
There were 2,435 incidents in Rezé.
Out of approximately 40,000 inhabitants, that makes 60 crimes and misdemeanors per 1000 inhabitants.
On the Nantes plate, we are at least 80 for 1000
,” recalls Nicolas Jolibois, the first cop of Loire-Atlantique.
This is a rate
“far from the most criminogenic cities in France”
which sometimes reach 150.