Le Figaro Nice
The prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, Hugues Moutouh, drew up a quantitative assessment of delinquency on public roads in the department in 2023 and stressed that it had been
“very strongly impacted by the behavior of foreign nationals”
.
For more than half of the cases in the two large cities of Nice (54.10%) and Cannes (53.04%), individuals of foreign nationality were implicated, he specifies in a note revealed by Europe 1 and also consulted by
Le Figaro
.
“
A clear increase”
compared to the previous year, analyzes the State representative (50.39% and 46.15% respectively).
Faced with
“a threat to the security of our fellow citizens”
, the man who arrived in Maralpine land at the end of October with the nickname “bulldozer prefect” insists on his desire to carry out the
“systematic expulsion”
of these individuals.
He wishes to increase the implementation of the obligations to leave French territory (OQTF) of the Darmanin law on immigration.
344 people were expelled from the department in 2023 (including 219 offenders), and since January, already 65 people including 40 offenders have been returned to their country of origin, namely Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco .
In detail, the services note that nearly 82.77% of pickpocketing in Nice were committed by foreigners, and 76.47% in Cannes, the highest proportions.
The same goes for violent thefts where foreign nationalities are over-represented (61.88% and 68.42%) but also break-ins (53.44% and 59.02%).
Also read: Is there (really) a link between immigration and delinquency?
Drug traffic
Concerning drug trafficking, variations depending on the neighborhood are observed but a focus is placed on that of Moulins, in the west of Nice, where this scourge is regularly mentioned.
Of the 603 people placed in police custody last year following arrests carried out at the various “deal points” in the area, 72% were individuals of foreign nationality, mostly Tunisian, notes Prefect Hugues. Moutouh.
In 38.12% of cases, these were unaccompanied minors (UMAs), a reflection of the migration crisis experienced at the Franco-Italian border in Menton.
“We will intensify our efforts in the coming months
,” promised the prefect on her X account (formerly Twitter).
We respect the laws of the Republic when we live in France!”
Local political reactions were not long in coming after this assessment carried out by the services of the Maralpine prefecture.
The LR deputy for Alpes-Maritimes, Éric Ciotti, praised on his X account
“the courage of the prefect who is leading the fight in the face of this unacceptable situation”
.
The president of the Republicans added that for him,
“it is non-negotiable, a foreigner who commits a crime or misdemeanor must be immediately returned”
.
The National Rally deputies, Lionel Tivoli (2nd constituency) and Bryan Masson (6th), saw
“terrifying”
and
“staggering”
figures .
“Immigration fuels delinquency
,” argued Alexandra Masson, elected RN in the Menton region (4th constituency).
The only dissonant and protesting voice is that of activist Cédric Herrou, known for defending the rights of foreigners in an irregular situation.
“One proof is that you are focusing repression on working-class neighborhoods and not on the neighborhoods of rich kids,”
he pointed out.
In 2022, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, had already recorded an almost similar proportion in Marseille, with 55% of foreigners involved in acts of delinquency.