The French government is taking a further step in its fight against urban violence by announcing new measures aimed at strengthening security in affected neighborhoods. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne presented a firmness plan which includes the creation of “republican action forces” made up of police officers, magistrates and social workers, deployed in certain priority neighborhoods.
These republican action forces will have the mission of intervening jointly to ensure security, but also to provide judicial, educational and social responses. This system, which is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s campaign promises, will be piloted on the ground by the mayor, the prefect and the public prosecutor. The first deployments will take place in the cities of Besançon, Valence and Maubeuge by the end of the year.
In addition to these actions on the ground, the government also wishes to sanction young offenders and their families more. Thus, supervision by the military will be considered for young delinquents, and the fine for non-compliance with the curfew will be multiplied by five, from 150 to 750 euros. In addition, people inciting violence on social networks may be temporarily banned.
The educational aspect is not left out, since the government intends to legislate to impose community service penalties on parents who evade their educational duties. Additionally, parents will now be held financially responsible for damages caused by their children, whether they are separated or not.
In parallel with these measures, an envelope of 100 million euros will be released for the repair and reconstruction of buildings affected during the riots last June. This sum will make it possible to repair the damage caused to public buildings, symbols of the Republic.
These announcements come after a week of particularly violent riots which broke out following the death of Nahel, a young man killed by a police officer during a road check in Nanterre. The violence quickly spread to the entire Parisian suburbs and several cities in France, sparking outrage across the country.
The repression of urban violence and the accountability of parents are sensitive subjects, but it is necessary to act to restore order and guarantee security in our neighborhoods. The measures announced by Élisabeth Borne go in this direction, by implementing concrete actions and involving different actors in society. We hope that these initiatives will reduce violence and provide appropriate responses to the problems encountered in priority neighborhoods.