A DEARED and UNACCEPTABLE SCENARIO!
Friday January 3, 2024, around 11:15 a.m., in the health unit of the establishment, armed with a bladed weapon, an inmate serving a sentence of 18 years of criminal imprisonment and who wanted to be transferred took four healthcare workers hostage, as well as a prison guard. This dramatic scenario unfolded over more than four hours. The Marseille ERIS, supported by the establishment’s ELSP and the RAID, made it possible to put an end to this unsustainable situation and thanks to their rapid and effective mobilization, no injuries were reported.
The UFAP UNSa Justice PACA-Corsica sends its full support and wishes a speedy recovery to the nursing staff and our fellow supervisor who, through their composure, were able to cope with this dramatic situation.
The UFAP UNSa Justice Paca Corse thanks all the personnel mobilized during this hostage taking, the ERIS 13, the ELSP of the MC Arles, the RAID as well as all the supervisors present. Their professionalism and commitment made it possible to avoid the worst.
The hostage taker, an individual with an unstable judicial past, once again reveals the inadequacy of the means made available to manage these extremely dangerous profiles.
The central house of Arles is unfortunately not at its first acts of violence. In 2017, a hostage taking on a supervisor had already shaken the establishment then in 2020 with the attempted murder perpetrated on our colleagues and more recently, in 2022, the assassination of Yvan Colonna. The MC Arles leaves its mark on people’s minds and this establishment is sadly full of a history that will be remembered. Moreover, during the DAP’s recent visit, the local UFAP UNSa Justice office of MC Arles alerted it to the imminent risk of a new serious event. This warning was clearly not taken with the necessary seriousness.
A MANAGEMENT THAT CAN RISE QUESTIONS!
During this hostage situation, ERIS was already present and had the situation under control when RAID took over. This raises an essential question: what is the point of having intervention teams trained and trained for these situations if they are pushed aside for other services to take over? Our ERIS, who are specifically trained and prepared for such situations, are relegated to second-rate missions. This management is unacceptable and must be reconsidered. Furthermore, although the intervention began in the morning, no meals were provided for some staff on duty. This demonstrates a blatant management failure for those who risk their lives in extreme situations. This is unacceptable negligence that must be corrected immediately.
L’UFAP UNSa JUSTICE EXIGE :
The creation of specialized penitentiary establishments to accommodate these ultra-violent and repeat offender prisoners.
Strengthening the number of surveillance personnel and intervention teams.
Material resources commensurate with the risks incurred in our establishments. The UFAP UNSa Justice Paca Corse demands recognition and rewards for the first-responder personnel, in particular the members of the ELSP who held their post for more than four hours, as well as our colleague Alberto, taken hostage, whose professionalism and experience deserve special tribute.
Prison officers are not human shields. Their safety can no longer be relegated to the background in the face of the urgency of managing increasingly violent inmates.
The UFAP UNSa Justice PACA-Corsica calls for an immediate reaction from the administration and public authorities.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!
Marseille, January 4, 2025
The General Secretaries
UFAP UNSa Justice Paca Corse
