Par
Fabrice Cahen
Published on
Oct. 21 2024 at 5:58 p.m
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“If in the evening you are the victim of an incident, no longer call the national police, but the municipal police,” sent a message to the residents of Larris-Maradas, Stéphanie Von Euw, the mayor (Lr) of Pontoise (Val -d’Oise), Friday October 11, 2024, during a neighborhood visit.
The information has a dual objective: to affirm that the City is determined to ensure the public safety of its citizens and that it has the means.
Geographically isolated, beyond the motorway, the Larris-Maradas district is not a forgotten territory and the town hall wanted to prove it.
Detached from Pontoise, then finally attached in 1983, the Larris, the Maradas and the Bocages form a residential area of some 3,200 inhabitants, including 800 households in Larris.
Pm deployed
The new format of neighborhood visits took on a particular angle during the visit of the municipal team.
The subject of security accompanied the entire stroll of the elected officials, assisted by an impressive network of police officers deployed in large numbers and heavily armed.
“We are present from 7:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.,” recalled one of the officials who came to present the municipal public security service.
“And after 1 hour, who do we call? », immediately asked a resident of the neighborhood, confronted with the permanent phenomenon of student evenings, in this area immediately neighboring Cergy-Préfecture.
“If you call the national police, they will not come out for a nighttime disturbance,” he was told.
Departure of the police
The student overpopulation in this area of the municipality has disrupted the urban district, marked by a development of rental and over-rental housing over which the town hall has “no control as long as there is no problem of hygiene or security, recognizes the councilor.
This is a problem that we are working on,” she reassured. Long known for its social diversity, the Larris sector lost its tranquility after the families of gendarmes left their official accommodation to settle in the emerging Bossut district, on the other side of the highway.
When the police approach, the traffickers flee to Cergy and taunt our agents
Since the gendarmerie headquarters moved to the Lange barracks, behind the Maradas stadium, the population has changed.
Now, municipal police officers patrol the area.
But the PM of Pontoise only has 24 civil servants to cover the entire municipality.
“Ten to twelve agents are operational every day,” even specifies a manager of this service.
The presence of agents is permanent and will soon be supplemented by video surveillance cameras.
The mayor: “We hold public space”
“It’s a changing neighborhood that we are monitoring closely,” explains Stéphanie Von Euw, the mayor (LR) of Pontoise. “This sector had a complicated summer, which required several interventions by the police,” recalls the city councilor regarding fireworks mortars that occurred in July. “We deployed our municipal police all summer to show that we hold public space,” warns the elected official who went to meet the residents. “Our approach is to identify the points on which we must focus our attention in terms of security. We know the locations of drug trafficking and we wish to inform the residents of Larris-Maradas that we cannot eliminate them without investigations and interventions. It’s ongoing and we’re constantly on it,” she promises. “The complexity of this sector is that it is located near Touleuses (Cergy), another unfavorably known district and the Larris-Maradas suffer the consequences. I would therefore like us to be able to pool our municipal police forces, beyond the bridges that separate our territories,” she addresses to the mayor (PS) of Cergy.
Deal points
Insecurity occupies the large complex of buildings. There are numerous deal points there and the border of the territory with the municipality of Cergy complicates the agents’ task.
“We do not have shared policies like with the municipality of Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône. Here, when officials approach, the traffickers flee to Cergy and taunt our agents, beyond their scope of competence,” we explain at the town hall.
The footbridges between the Maradas in Pontoise and the Touleuses in Cergy thus serve as places for the sale of narcotics.
“There is also the gateway to the Plants district (Cergy),” a resident reminds us.
“Did you know that there is also a deal point in front of the Larris school,” asks another resident of the neighborhood. So much information that the town hall is already aware of.
Affected by an increase in delinquency, the neighborhood is deteriorating.
The stairwells, basements and common areas bear the marks of an urban area in decline.
However, the City reassures its population by assigning regular patrols. “We can intervene in ten minutes,” assures a municipal police officer, while inviting residents to join the Voisin Vigilant system.
“You must be active in your own security,” he suggests.
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