Stéphane Place, edited by Yanis Darras 08:23, January 04, 2023
To save money, the city of Bordeaux has decided to turn off nearly 60% of its public lighting.
A decision hailed by the population, but which worries about the issue of crime.
On the side of the unions of the police, the fear of not being able to fight against delinquency without lighting, is more and more strong.
This was still unthinkable a year ago and yet, with the energy crisis and the rise in electricity prices, more and more municipalities are deciding to take the plunge and switch off their public lighting for part of the night.
If this decision is taken above all by small French municipalities, the city of Bordeaux is also choosing to turn off its streetlights.
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"Catching a burglar in action is very complicated"
Now nearly 60% of the city is in the dark from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
Stated objective: save 900,000 euros per year.
But the darkness stirs up fears of attacks on the part of the inhabitants.
"I don't think it could increase the risk since they were careful. The areas really at risk will be lit", reassures a resident of the city at the microphone of Europe 1. "But it risks creating problems of violence," said another passerby.
And he is not alone in thinking that crime could increase in the coming months.
"To catch a burglar in action, it's very complicated. If we turn off the lights, it will be even more complicated", explains Sylvain Charenat, departmental secretary of the Alliance police union in Gironde.
Refining
"And then there are also other acts of crime, such as damage to vehicles. The same, a woman who goes home alone in the dark, I think her feeling of insecurity will increase. And what about the cameras that film the streets? How efficient will they be," he adds.
For its part, the Bordeaux municipality ensures that this device was developed in consultation with the police hierarchy and the emergency services and promises to refine the public lighting plan if necessary.