Many of us will be going to cemeteries, to put flowers on the graves of our loved ones, on the occasion of All Saints’ Day. On this occasion, the Somme gendarmerie calls for vigilance: the period is conducive to thefts, directly on the graves but also in cars parked nearby. “We regularly have thefts at the level of the graves, whether flower pots or ornaments, but what we see especially on the day of November 1, these are thefts linked to vehicles which are parked in front of the cemeteries”confirms Squadron Leader Julien Rossignol, who commands the Amiens gendarmerie company, at the microphone of France Bleu Picardie.
“We see that people, in this moment of meditation, sometimes forget certain basic gestures and leave the vehicles open”, resulting in the theft of documents, money or car radios, but also directly from vehicles. Faced with this phenomenon, which is frequent, the gendarmerie therefore reminds us of some cautionary instructions: do not leave objects visible from outside the vehicle, close windows, sunroofs or trunks, park if possible in places visible to other people, and finally go to the cemetery at times when the light is still strong. “If a person detects a suspicious car, a suspicious individual, suspicious behavior, above all do not hesitate to dial 17: a gendarmerie patrol will come to clear up any doubts.assures Squadron Leader Julien Rossignol.
Number of staff mobilized
Increased vigilance also on the side gendarmes, who will be more numerous to crisscross the field the coming days. “We put on wheels a framework of patrols visible all day long, mainly at the times of entry and exit of religious services, but also and especially in the afternoon to carry out surveillance of cemeteries and their surroundings. We have the gendarmes of the Somme who carry out this mission, but we also have the reinforcement of reserve gendarmes to increase our presence on the ground”continues the Commander of the Amiens company.
Even in the absence of flagrante delicto, the soldiers then try to trace the traces of these thefts : the case in particular at the beginning of the year, after a series of thefts of ornaments, in several cemeteries. “We realized that it was a person who is kleptomaniac, who had the habit of stealing in cemeteries without a specific goal.“, says Squadron Leader Julien Rossignol. Investigations that are close to the heart of the gendarme, “so that these people do not feel forgotten, even if the damage is not very important financially.”