Four minors arrested for these acts will appear before the children’s judge at the Nantes judicial court at the end of June. The gendarmerie had reinforced security in the face of the repetition of these crimes committed at the end of 2023.
Le Figaro Nantes
The town of Sainte-Pazanne, about thirty kilometers southwest of Nantes, was marked by a violent unarmed murder in early April. This small rural town in the Pays de Retz (44), in which general delinquency increased by 18% between 2022 and 2023, was also plagued by a recent episode of public disorder every few weeks.
In a press release published Monday, the commander of the company
Pornic departmental gendarmerie, Étienne Naud, announces the identification of five minors who participated in these events. Between mid-November and the end of December 2023, incivility, such as theft, fire and damage to property, had been committed.
CCTV cameras helped
“Among the most significant facts, a shopping cart was set on fire in the Super U parking lot and sent towards rental vehicles, near the gas station”, details the squadron leader. Also, “on December 22, a community hall was broken into and damaged, with the theft of several objects including the key to the youth center. By this means, the latter is degraded and tagged from the inside. The perpetrators then tried to set fire to the roof of the porch of the village hall with aerosol bombs, but triggered the alarm and were forced to flee.. Finally, “several other public properties were set on fire, such as trash cans or even a reading box and benches”. This series of incidents led to a strengthening of night patrols in the area.
Thanks to this device deployed, “three young people dressed in black, with hoods, corresponding to the descriptions obtained so far” were spotted in the middle of the night on December 29. “Significant work is necessary to gather the evidence and determine the involvement of each young person in each of the many facts, with the help in particular of the local police for the operation of video surveillance cameras”, specifies the gendarmerie, which thanks to investigations, identifies five minors. Four of the accused will be presented before the children’s judge on June 28, while the fifth received a criminal composition order. They all come from Sainte-Pazanne or neighboring towns.
“Since this major operation, no new events of this type have been recorded in Sainte-Pazanne where nighttime tranquility has fortunately returned”resume the gendarmes, “well aware of the impact of this type of delinquency which is very worrying for the inhabitants of the country of Retz”. They “remain determined to do their utmost to prevent it and repress it if necessary, in close collaboration with the municipality”. On April 17, a public meeting on security and public peace took place at the town hall.
