The 15,000 inhabitants of the city of Lucé can now, in the event of incivility, be the subject of a call to order from an elected municipal official, since the signing of an agreement, Thursday, between the public prosecutor of Chartres, Rémi Coutin, and the mayor of Lucé, Florent Gauthier.
This official legal tool, created in France in 2012, allows the mayor or a designated deputy to provide a rapid response to non-criminal acts relating to incivility, noise and various nuisances, sanitation, neighborhood disputes, small damage to communal property…
Prevention before the sanction, if recidivism
“It is a judicial police power that I grant to mayors for a rapid and educational response. Because justice is overwhelmed, we are only eight magistrates, well below the European average, ”underlines the prosecutor.
The mayor of Lucé can now summon an adult or a minor accompanied by his parents for a solemn call to order. But the elected official must imperatively notify the prosecution, by email, before proceeding to the official summons. Prosecutor Rémi Coutin specifies: “Contacted, the magistrate verifies that the offense corresponds to the legal framework of the call to order, and above all, that it does not interfere in an ongoing judicial investigation. »
Florent Gauthier, Mayor of Lucé, summarizes: “This protocol is part of our desire to have a peaceful city. Daily conflicts must not overload the courts, which already lack large human resources. We all have to do our part. »
The elected official is determined that the population flourishes in his city: “We must adopt rules of knowing how to be and knowing how to live. Calling to order is a form of prevention. But sometimes, depending on the situation, we will go directly to criminal proceedings so that there are sanctions”.
Florent Gauthier advocates dialogue and tries, on the ground, to defuse the problems: “Recently, I was surrounded by 150 people. We talked and everything went well. Sometimes one person escalates the situation. But it is true that there is a decline in respect for authority. »
About forty Eurelian municipalities have already signed this protocol, including the cities of Chartres and Dreux. The prosecutor draws up a first assessment: “I have good feedback from the municipalities. The device works. Elected officials notice changes.
Rémi Coutin says he is extremely vigilant about actions against elected officials, whom he wants to protect by not letting anything pass: “I have given specific instructions to my colleagues in the prosecution and to the police and gendarmerie services. Any offense against natural or legal persons of a municipality must be brought to the attention of the public prosecutor’s office. I do not accept attacks on elected officials, which are more and more numerous.
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