This is the alarming observation made this Friday by the prefect of Hérault: complaints of sexual violence increased by 36.4% in 2020 compared to 2019, and domestic violence of 8.3% in the Metropolis of Montpellier.
Several phenomena can explain these sharply rising figures. First, there are the various awareness campaigns for encourage victims to file a complaint. There is also the effort made to facilitate these filing of complaints. But the prefect Hugues Moutouh does not underestimate a deterioration in behavior due to the consumption of alcohol and drugs. “Alcohol is involved in 90% of cases of domestic violence “. It also highlights “a decivilization “ of manners “with people who control their impulses less and less.
The police boss also notes that alcohol does not only concern the perpetrators but also the victims who sometimes do not remember anything. “We absolutely have to do prevention” specifies Yannick Blouin
Overall delinquency is on the decline in the Hérault department, less 25.8% since 2017, but every day in Montpellier, there are between 6 or 8 break-ins, 6 or 7 trailer thefts, 4 shootings, 2 or 3 robberies and one or two vehicle thefts.
1500 PV at 200 euros drawn up for drug users this year in Montpellier
Drug trafficking also remains one of the prefect’s priorities with “zero tolerance, zero compromise“. He recalls that several operations were carried out in different districts of Montpellier in recent weeks, particularly in Gambetta and Saint-Martin. “We won’t let go when we tell each other“. A desire shared by the Departmental Director of Public Security, Yannick Blouin, who recalls that consumers are regularly fined, a fine of 200 euros which ends up becoming dissuasive.”Since the beginning of the year, 1500 PVs have been drawn up for consumption, these are fixed tort fines, the procedure is simple and quick, thanks to the electronic PV, the consumer receives the fine at home. We’re on minimal quantities, but it’s a message sent to the consumer, “do not come any more on this point of deal there, you will be fined “But the DDSP recognizes that the traffic will be transferred elsewhere, and that the highly organized traffickers are very inventive to circumvent the controls. “We are facing a form of uberization of traffic, door-to-door sales and traffic on the darknet, but the police are modernizing to tackle this new traffic as well.”
For their part, the gendarmes seized 1340 kilos of cannabis resin and 5 kilos of cocaine this year during various arrests.
Foreign offenders are systematically sent back to their country
The prefect also intends to work on delinquency of people of foreign origin. A Bosnian network with 36 young underage women was dismantled this year in Montpellier. Some unaccompanied minors who are perpetrators of violent thefts (collars torn off or phones stolen in the street) are in the sights of the police: 143 minors of North African origin were the subject of proceedings since the beginning of the year. A more contained phenomenon since the opening of a house on the outskirts of Montpellier to accommodate these minors, they are better followed by social services.
Foreigners in an irregular situation are also sent back to their country when they are the perpetrators of crimes.. Thus 49 people released from prison were sent home this year, including 16 considered particularly dangerous. The renewal of residence permits is also refused to people who have committed offenses (60 permit withdrawals or refuses to renew this year in the Hérault)
The prefect recalls that the police were still very mobilized in 2020 and 2021 on demonstrations (524 demonstrations over one year) including those of antivax (strong mobilization in the middle of summer). This represents 10,000 hours of civil servants to maintain order.