14 arrests after violence as New Year's Eve approaches

Fourteen people have been arrested over the past two days in the vicinity of Strasbourg after «incidents»violence and damage, particularly to vehicles, a few days before New Year's Eve under close surveillance, we learned on Sunday from police sources and the prefecture.

“Incidents have taken place in recent days in certain districts of the Strasbourg metropolitan area”the prefecture told AFP, specifying that the prefect “strongly and vigorously condemns these actions carried out by young delinquents”. Of the “specific operations were carried out, at his request, with the support of CRS 8, specialized in the management of these phenomena”declared the prefecture again.

“These operations allowed the arrest of 11 people (Saturday) and three people the day before, who will be presented to justice”. Since December 25, several incidents of violence have been recorded, including fireworks mortars against the police, AFP learned from a police source. Destructions by vehicle fires or trash fires were also recorded. The events mainly occurred in the sensitive districts of Hautepierre and Cronenbourg, according to the police.

“Intolerable criminal acts”

The Alliance Police Strasbourg union said in a press release sent to AFP that it condemned “with force the urban violence which strikes as the new year approaches”denouncing “intolerable criminal acts” and claiming “a firm and immediate criminal response”. Ahead of the New Year's Eve night under close surveillance throughout France, the prefecture clarified that “the system will be permanently adapted to combat this violence, which is not acceptable”.

Last year, New Year's Eve was marked by a “sharp reduction in urban violence” in Bas-Rhin, the prefecture indicated, with a drop of a third in vehicles burned compared to the previous year. Twenty-eight people were arrested, including 14 minors.