already 15 months of experimentation in the Lyon conurbation

Lay down the law, recall the rules of community life to improve behavior: this is the vocation of the “public tranquility hearings” tested for fifteen months in several municipalities in the Lyon region, in particular in Vaulx-en-Velin, Villeurbanne, Bron, Vénissieux or Lyon 8th.

These hearings of a new kind are aimed at minor offenses against security and public tranquility, usually punished by fines. Lyon was a forerunner when these hearings are launched.

The debates are moderated by a duo: a prosecutor’s delegate and a municipal elected official. The first frame the law, the second insists on the citizen issue. A well-adjusted duo over the hearings tinged with solemnity.

Illustration of one of these hearings and the exchanges that take place there. On April 8 in Vaulx-en-Velin, a 52-year-old man presented himself for “consumption of alcohol on the public highway”. “I was not aware. I was just having a sandwich while drinking a beer”, he pleads, looking worried. Sitting opposite him in a room in the House of Justice and Law (MJD), the prosecutor’s delegate Alain Pompigne reminds him of the sanction provided for by municipal decree: a fine of 38 euros.

“People gather in parks, drink and put on a show. Which scares families”, insists the deputy mayor, Muriel Lecerf.
The man reveals a bit of his misery, his instability since a divorce, homelessness, precarious jobs.
“I’m not charging you for this time, I mean to you a reminder of the law, let it be a lesson to you”, concludes the magistrate. The man leaves relieved.

In 2021, 101 “proximity territorial criminal policy” procedures were carried out in four sensitive sectors of the Lyon conurbation: Vaulx-en-Velin, Villeurbanne, Source and Lyon 8th. Since the start of 2022, the pace has accelerated and the city of Venissieux attaches to the device.

Abandonment of waste, rodeos in car parks, possession of attack dogs, noise pollution or public consumption of alcohol are among the most frequent reasons for summons.

A teenager, hands in his pockets and hood on his head, answers for his part of a wild barbecue organized in the middle of the street at the beginning of March, in Vaulx-en-Velin. “You have to imagine that your gatherings can scare families,” exposes the deputy mayor.

“The street is our common good”, insists the prosecutor’s delegate. There too, he will be left for a reminder of the law. The teenager appears to be reciting his apologies: “It’s not good what I did, and here it is…”.

In the 8th arrondissement of Lyon, the mayor, Olivier Berzane, holds an audience twice a month. The goal is “to make it clear that these acts have consequences for the community. I show that we are not remaining inactive, and people are starting to know”he said.

Facing him that day, a young woman presents herself for “disposal of waste on the public highway”, after having left a half-dismantled terrace in front of her restaurant, in the 8th arrondissement.
“The carpenter never came, he should have taken care of it. Physically it was too difficult for me”she explains, on the verge of tears.
“You can’t leave a sidewalk in this state”justifies the delegate of the prosecutor.
“The police have other things to do, it costs us time, money, we shouldn’t end up there”preaches the mayor.

She risks a fine of 750 euros, but will ultimately pay a “citizen contribution” of 100 euros.

For Nicolas Jacquet, prosecutor of Lyon, who carries out the project with the mayors, it is “to provide a coordinated and rapid response to uncivil behavior that weighs heavily on citizens’ feeling of insecurity”.

“People are very surprised to find themselves there, often they ask us: do you have nothing else to do? Dealing with serious crime does not prevent us from dealing with these offenses which poison the life of a district. At the same time, we take advantage of this meeting to understand their situation.explains Alain Pompigne.

Thus, this 59-year-old man summoned to Vaulx en Velin for drinking alcohol in a park exposes his situation of great precariousness. Ill-advised, he came with a carton of contraband cigarettes sticking out of a plastic bag. He will get away with a remark and a reminder of the law.

–