The Court of Auditors points to the inadequacies of the anti-crack plan in Paris

Europe 1 with AFP 6:49 a.m., December 09, 2021, modified at 6:49 a.m., December 9, 2021

Drug addicts better treated, but ineffective action to restore public tranquility: the Court of Auditors points to the weaknesses of the anti-crack plan applied in Paris since 2019 on Wednesday and denounces the lack of coordination of the public authorities.

"The plan produced real results, but partial and without effect on the attacks on public peace," writes the Regional Chamber of Accounts (CRC) of Ile-de-France in its audit.

In the end, 25 million euros were spent between 2019 and 2021, against the 9 initially planned.

20 actions carried out out of 33 planned

This three-year plan was to pool efforts against the consumption of crack which plagues the north-east of Paris by associating the municipality with the State services: regional prefectures and police, public prosecutor's office, regional health agency and interministerial mission for the fight against drugs and addictive behavior.

This quasi-tripling of the bill is not however criticized.

"It is money that has been usefully spent," Christian Martin, president of the Ile-de-France CRC, told the press.

About 70% of the 25 million mobilized allowed the creation of 440 emergency accommodation places to get out of the streets of drug addicts, addicted to this smokable derivative of cocaine.

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A massive and unexpected effort, carried out mainly in the emergency of the first confinement in spring 2020, when the gatherings of drug addicts crystallized the tensions with the residents.

The close coordination of the authorities on this point has however "gradually relaxed", regrets the report, which underlines the "insufficient follow-up" of the plan.

The remaining 30% of the budget made it possible to strengthen the associations' patrols.

If the plan seems to have been mainly applied, with 20 actions carried out out of 33 planned, its "intrinsic limits" have not made it possible to resolve the crisis, observes the CRC.

Two rest areas open only during the day

The magistrates especially deplore "the absence of a component on the fight against trafficking" directly integrated into this strategy with essentially medico-social objectives. The police headquarters and the public prosecutor's office thus carried out their anti-trafficking policy separately, "without necessarily communicating their actions to other actors", according to Christian Martin. The report also describes an undersized plan from the start for 700 to 800 precarious consumers identified in Paris. Finally, he regrets the "limited scope" of certain actions initially envisaged, which never saw the light of day.

Only two of the six rest areas planned for users were opened, but not at night.

Consumption rooms with lower risks, wanted by the mayor of Paris, but long refused by the Ministry of the Interior, they now face the lack of available sites despite the green light from Matignon.