They appeared in Moulins a month and a half ago. On May 9, about fifteen agents were deployed in this neighborhood in the west of Nice where trafficking of all kinds is a scourge. Cécé, Fury, Zouk, Wawa (1) and the others are tasked with ensuring the safety and tranquility of the neighborhood’s residents. They are “gaida”, guards in Niçois, but also the acronym for the group of inter-bailleurs agents against disorder and abuse.
They also play a role of mediation, dissuasion and enable the establishment of social ties with residents.
Cargo pants and gray polo shirts under a tactical vest, they take over the buildings which they comb through with a fine-tooth comb.
A thorough inspection of buildings
“The idea is to disrupt traffic”says Cécé, 34, as he moves into the former tower 17 which has become number 13 on Martin-Luther-King Avenue.
In the building doomed to destruction, only seven housing units remain occupied. The residents of the other apartments were able to be relocated. Suffice to say that the ten floors have become a playground conducive to traffic and deals.
To check a building, “We form two cells of four people”one outside and the other inside. “One of us stays at the entrance to do screening and to allow us to work quietly”develops Cécé, supported in particular by Wawa, who, at two meters tall, was not chosen at random for this mission.
Then begins the ascent through the floors and the inspection of every nook and cranny.
“The unoccupied apartments have been walled up and all the adjoining premises are being searched.continues the agent who sweeps everything in his path with his flashlight. We search for caches and locate squats and then alert the police.”
In almost empty buildings like the old Tower 17, it is easy to operate out of sight. “They come to shoot themselves on the floors which become shooting points.”
Results of the day’s search on the ten levels: two used syringes.
In one shift, agents can review six to seven buildings, at a rate of thirty minutes to an hour per block, depending on their size.
Residents also play a role and do not hesitate to talk to the officers when they come across them.
The “gaida” are now part of the decor and play a real mediating role.
1. To protect their identity, everyone chose pseudonyms.
“The fight against trafficking is a constant battle”insists Anthony Borré, first deputy mayor of Nice and president of Côte d’Azur habitat, before taking stock of these first two months. We have a lot to do and we have seen improvement, we must continue to do more. »
In May, the “gaida” carried out 112 shifts, fifty-six interventions, eight evacuations of individuals and twenty-nine discoveries of objects. “Sixteen narcotics, eight bladed weapons and five nitrous oxides”specifies Anthony Borré.
Since the beginning of June, 134 shifts, eighty-four interventions, thirty-two evacuations and thirty-nine discoveries have been added to the brigade’s action counter.
“Since the beginning of the week, the brigade has been investing in the neighborhood during a new time slot, from 2:30 p.m. to midnight, still on four undefined days.says the elected official. This helps avoid appropriation and habituation.”
He also recalls that the brigade has no vocation “to be an emergency call service” which is the role of the police. And that the cost of their interventions “is not passed on to tenants’ charges but is the responsibility of social landlords who have chosen to be partners in the system”.
