Compiègne: early collection of trash cans to counter drug trafficking
Since June 2024, the city of Compiègne (Oise) has been experimenting with an unprecedented measure in four of its sensitive neighborhoods: the early collection of household waste containers. This initiative aims to limit their diversion into road barriers by drug traffickers, a practice which disrupts the daily lives of local residents and complicates the intervention of law enforcement.
Trash cans transformed into obstacles
In these neighborhoods, drug dealers regularly use building containers to block access to law enforcement. This situation creates growing insecurity for residents.
One resident, wishing to remain anonymous, told CNEWS: “It’s not secure. You have problems, you want to get out and you can't. A person who comes to see you cannot enter because it is blocked. I’m afraid for myself and for my children.”
To respond to this problem, the Compiègne town hall has decided to modify the waste collection times. Now, the containers are collected between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., before the dealers set up on site.
A temporary solution
While this measure helped ease tensions in certain neighborhoods, traffickers quickly found other objects to erect barricades. According to Oumar Ba, deputy mayor in charge of the Clos-des-Roses district, construction site gates are now used to obstruct access routes.
“The gates which secure the perimeter of the works are the new barriers used to close access to the police,” he explained, emphasizing the complexity of the situation.
A struggle that requires a political response
For Philippe Marini, LR mayor of Compiègne, these acts illustrate the need to adopt more effective measures on a national scale. He declared: “Perhaps we need a little less public freedom and more efficiency in the fight against delinquency and in particular drugs which undermine neighborhoods.”
The experiment with early trash collection will continue until June 30, 2026, but it remains a precarious solution to a fundamental problem.
Conclusion
Drug trafficking in certain neighborhoods of Compiègne once again demonstrates the challenges that local communities face. While initiatives such as early trash collection can temporarily improve the lives of local residents, they are not enough to eradicate the problem. Coordinated action, combining prevention, security and legislation, is essential to sustainably restore the tranquility of neighborhoods.
Source : CNEWS
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