School harassment: with the increase in the number of reports in the Somme, an agreement for emergency measures

The Amiens public prosecutor's office received 71 reports of school harassment between January and July 2024. In the space of seven months, it is therefore already more than for the whole of 2023during which the prosecution had 65. On the side of the rectorate, we mention the doubling of the number of cases reported in the academy's educational establishments. Faced with this observation, and this is a first in France, National Education, the Department, the Region and the Amiens public prosecutor's office signed this Wednesday an agreement to create a “rapid investigation unit”. This team, made up of three people, will be specially dedicated to the fight against school bullying from the next school year.

A team of three people for faster intervention

Created at the initiative of the Amiens public prosecutor, this rapid investigation unit aims to to move faster in the fight against school bullyingand to put in place emergency measures. “We know that our investigations, and this is normal, are a little long. But while the investigation is carried out, it is important that we can act”explains Jean-Philippe Vicentini. The team will be made up of a delegate from the prosecutor, a social agent recruited by the Department and the Region, as well as a National Education agent specializing in issues of combating school bullying.

Once the unit receives a report of proven harassment, it will be able to travel and the prosecutor's delegate will be able to hear the child victim as well as the perpetrator and the families. Then take action. “That means helping the victim, possibly separating, stopping the harassment. These are emergency, immediate measures. After the investigation we see”specifies Jean-Philippe Vicentini.

“Families sometimes don’t understand when they file a complaint why the investigation takes time,” adds the rector of the Amiens academy Pierre Moya. Bring together all stakeholders from the social, legal and educational world will also allow you to react more quickly. “This does not exempt us from the fact that we will possibly take sanctioning measures”he adds. It is simply necessary to differentiate between educational time and judicial time.