Arrested in November after a refusal to comply which almost injured a police officer, a 16-year-old Algerian boy is now actively sought by the police.
Outburst of anger at the Orvault juvenile penitentiary (EPM). Officers at the detention center in the northern suburbs of Nantes oscillate between irritation and fatalism, after the successful escape, on December 14, of a teenager with a worrying profile. Aged 16, this Algerian had been arrested a month earlier, in the sensitive district of Bellevue, in the west of Nantes, after a refusal to comply coupled with an attempted murder of one of the police officers who arrested him. was chasing and who was forced to use his firearm. This would be the first successful escape from the Orvault establishment, inaugurated in 2007. Second clarification: it has been 10 years since EPM agents alerted their management to the existence of a blind spot in the prison exercise yard. A path cheerfully taken by the young man, to escape.
“We had identified and reported to the technical committee the existence of this flaw in the walking area, unfortunately without any effect”indicates to Figaro William Cozic, Force Ouvrière Justice delegate at the Nantes penitentiary center. Placed out of sight of the EPM agents – who were also understaffed – the young man climbed a six meter high wall before finding himself free. An extremely rare feat, therefore, but which – according to those familiar with the site – was bound to happen sooner or later, the establishment not having been designed as a high security place. Far from it, even. “Today we are paying the consequences of political choices of which the architecture of this ensemble is the fruitspecifies William Cozic. Too many resources have been invested in educational equipment to the detriment of the most basic security . Even after opening, we still saw controllers passing by who found that it lacked user-friendliness… This gives an idea of the level of disconnection with our daily lives!”
Ultraviolent profiles
For the union delegate, the prison authorities have not yet taken the full measure of the metamorphosis of the profile of minor prisoners in the establishment over the last 15 years. “The center was not designed to accommodate Marseille-style ultraviolent profiles, who handle firearms and engage in shootings,” observes William Cozic. Reflecting the increasing aggressiveness of prisoners, a “mutiny” had partially paralyzed the EPM in May 2023, before being brought under control by the intervention of the regional intervention and security team. An over-armed unit based in Rennes and usually deployed in remand centers or detention centers, rather than to put down rebellious teenagers.
The first pitfalls of the Orvault site appeared quite early after the inauguration of the establishment, when basketball hoops had to be removed after having been used in two escape attempts. The interregional directorate of prison services has now been made aware of the flaws in the EPM and should proceed “in an emergency” with some readjustments. Staff representatives are still waiting to see if this will also involve additional staffing at Orvault prison. Today, 45 prison officers are responsible for carrying out the work of a theoretical team of 53 people. Previously spent in prison in Spain, the December 14 escapee is still wanted by the police.
