Is the peace and quiet of the town of Vevey as disturbed as some of the population seem to say?Image: KEYSTONE
The Vaudois town of Vevey is singled out. In question? Citizens are worried about a rise in insecurity. A petition has been launched to call for more security. The Municipality in charge of social cohesion responds to watson.
“Increase the security of Vevey” is the title of the online petition that already has 1,770 signatures. Indeed, according to the signatories, the Vaudois commune of 20,000 souls is facing an increase in insecurity and rapid measures are necessary.
The trigger for this mobilization can be found in a final news item. On June 27, 24 hours et Blick reported an attack between two gangs which sent four young people to the hospital. The scene of the brawl is located in the Jardin Doret, which is located on the shores of Lake Geneva. The suspects would also be known to the Vaud authorities, according to 24 hours.
These events have therefore highlighted a deeper problem within the city. The signatory residents say they feel a growing insecurity. And the text of the petition, hosted on the change.org website, even mentions “a sinister shadow hanging over our community”.
The station area is often cited as the epicenter of the growing danger in the city, even described as “an open market for the sale of drugs”, writes the author of the petition.
Gabriela KaempfImage: dr
The stage is set. Gabriela Kämpf, the municipal councilor in charge of cohesion in Vevey, confirms that “the Municipality has been contacted, but has not yet ruled on this petition”.
“Pure coincidence”
The Vevey authorities issued a press release on the morning of Thursday June 27 explaining that they are setting up a mediation system, evoking a reassuring presence in the service of living together. Concretely, mediators will walk around the station area, wearing a white vest so that they are identifiable. The city points out that this is a pilot project.
Is this a quick response from the Municipality to this petition?
Gabriela Kämpf informs that the City of Vevey did not wait for this altercation to take measures: “It is pure coincidence that this aligns with the petition. The project was put in place at the beginning of this legislature.”
Faced with this feeling of insecurity felt by several women interviewed, Gabriela Kämpf explains “understanding this feeling of insecurity” prevalent around the station, especially for women.
But the municipal councilor and her colleagues intend to remedy these criticisms. As she emphasizes, “the station is a place of welcome and that is not how we want to welcome”. The subject is close to the heart of the Municipality:
“We have set up a defense program for women, to know how to identify an attack and to use some techniques to ward off a potential attack. These are courses for women according to the Fem do chi method, which reinforces the power to act for oneself and position oneself in the face of a potential attack in public or private spaces. At ten francs per session for women from Vevey.”
And “very unpleasant climate”?
Several women contacted tell us that the climate is “very unpleasant” in the streets of Vevey from 10 p.m. onwards. Gabriela Kämpf explains:
“As a woman, I understand this feeling of insecurity”
Gabriela Kaempf
She continues: “In 2021, one of the first things we put in place is harcèl.Vevey. This platform identified a gap in the City of Vevey. Now, victims can make anonymous statements and be contacted by a professional.”
In the wake of the 2021 legislature, the city has taken up the security issue.
“With this repetition of requests concerning insecurity issues, we have set up a working group. Our role as a city is to strengthen cohesion and living together. The Municipality has asked the police to increase their presence day and night. They are the ones with the mandate for public security. But a set of measures is necessary.”
The municipal council also analyses “the delicate situation of being a city centre”. According to her, “in addition to its urban population, Vevey welcomes many people who come from other realities. Vevey is no exception among the cities that observe problems of cohabitation in public space. It is also very dense”, estimates Gabriela Kämpf.
She takes the opportunity to remind that “The narrative used by the media reinforces this feeling of fear”. And to conclude that the Municipality must bring a reassuring presence to its population. The establishment of urban mediation is there to respond to this feeling of insecurity. “We will build interventions with our experiences, define schedules, contexts”, describes Gabriela Kämpf, adding that the Municipality feels “very concerned and supportive of the victims of aggression”.
The news in Switzerland is here
Show all articles
