The housing estates located around the Gil Fayard stadium, in the Croix d’Argent district of Montpellier, have experienced burglaries for several years. For three weeks, thefts have increased. The inhabitants, more and more worried, are organizing themselves so that these acts of delinquency stop.
Alarms and CCTV cameras
In his house, Georges * installed an alarm a week ago, a few days after a big burglary, in a neighboring house. “I put it on and two days later it worked“Says the sixty-year-old. Sunday, December 20, 2020, around 6 am, the system starts up. Georges goes down and takes a look out the window.”The individual (s) must have tried to open the door before running away“, he analyzes, his throat tied.
Now we barricade ourselves. Well … Barricader, that’s not the word. But for example, we close the shutters at night, which we didn’t do before – Georges, living in the Croix d’Argent district of Montpellier.
In the neighborhood, the inhabitants talk a lot about these intrusion attempts and thefts. “There are things that we did not do before and that we do today, out of prudence, explains Georges. For example, in summer we used to stay in the garden without locking the front door. Now we do it systematically.“
The sixty-year-old and his companion do not want to install CCTV cameras or add bars to the windows. “We don’t wanna live in a prison, we wanna live normally“, breathes the man. But the couple keeps, in a corner of the head, the idea of to move out.
We feel more and more insecure – Hector, living in the Croix d’Argent district of Montpellier.
Technology doesn’t always deter burglars. Twenty years ago, Hector * also installed an alarm in his home. “Two weeks ago, during the night, my wife saw an individual climb over the gate and enter the garden, says the septuagenarian. My wife turned on the outside lights to let her know we were there. He must have stayed two or three minutes before leaving.“
Hector has lived in the area for about thirty years. “When we arrived it was a little piece of heaven, he explains. Then, there was major urbanization work and the arrival of new inhabitants. I am not saying that it is this population that is dangerous. But I say it made the neighborhood more attractive to those who want to visit our homes.“
At night, when we go to the toilet, we peek outside to see if something is moving – Hector, living in the Croix d’Argent district of Montpellier.
The only positive point, according to him, is that the neighborhood is more united. “nWe warn the neighbors when we leave the house, or ask them to watch, to report if they see something strange, he says. When one sees an individual prowling, he warns the others.“The neighborhood has created a Whatsapp group in which everyone is relaying their concerns. In recent weeks, the collective has also created a device Vigilant Neighbors, which reinforces this dynamic.
* Identities have been changed
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