Frédéric Michel / Photo credit: VALERY HACHE / AFP 06:42, 04 December 2023

While the Moulins district of Nice is heavily affected by drug trafficking, Mayor Christian Estrosi has decided to call on agents specifically responsible for the safety of residents. 17 armed and sworn officers have just been recruited and will be gradually deployed in the district from January.

In Nice, 17 armed and sworn officers have just been recruited. All of them are former soldiers, gendarmes, police officers and security guards and are in the process of being trained. These security guards, mandated by the city and several social landlords, will be gradually deployed in the sensitive Moulins district from January.

A neighborhood plagued by drug trafficking and the scene of several shootings in recent months. These agents, equipped with batons, tear gas canisters and tactical vests, will fight in private spaces, building lobbies, cellars, car parks and green spaces against everyday incivilities, damage and untimely occupations. The city of Nice is the fourth in France (Paris, Toulouse, Montpellier) to set up this system, and it also intends, thanks to this presence, to fight against trafficking.

Fined: the perpetrators of incivility and degradation

Failing to obtain the permanent presence of a company of CRS and considering that his municipal police have enough task to fulfil, the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has decided to call on agents specifically responsible for the security of the residents of the Moulins district. They will be able to fine the perpetrators of incivility and degradation. "It's better to take the initiatives we take in partnership with social landlords than to do nothing. Their omnipresence in the neighborhood will lead them to better know the points that are exploited, especially by the dealers," the mayor told Europe 1.

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The fight against trafficking has become a priority. "It's not the main role. But, in reality, when you occupy the space, when you patrol on a regular basis, when you are able to fine people who are incivilizing or occupying building lobbies, you also contribute to solving other problems. This is a matter for the state. But if the local authority can make a contribution to try to stem a national scourge, we will do so," said Anthony Borré, first deputy mayor of Nice and president of Côte d'Azur Habitat, one of the four donors involved in this scheme. And after the Moulins district, the measure could be extended to other cities in Nice.