Delinquency: are there fewer cameras in “the northern districts of Marseille than in Tourcoing”, as the saying goes … – Franceinfo

While Marseille has known for two months an increase in settling of scores against a background of drug trafficking, Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior, suggested Tuesday, August 24 on franceinfo that there should be more video protection cameras in the city. According to him, Marseille is particularly under-endowed: “Marseille is one of the cities where there are the fewest CCTV cameras. In the northern districts, where I have been going every two months since I became Minister of the Interior, there are hardly any cameras., declared on franceinfo Gérald Darmanin. There are more in Tourcoing than in Marseilles in these northern districts while there are 300,000 inhabitants who live there. “ A rather false statement, the True from False cell explains it to you.

Marseille has 1,500 cameras in the streets of its city, which is a little more than Paris for example. It is especially much more than in Tourcoing. The website of the city of the North indicates “175 cameras in 2018 including 6 nomads”. According to the mayor’s office, contacted yesterday by franceinfo, there is now “295 cameras installed and 15 new ones being installed”.

If we look more specifically at the northern districts of Marseille, the Minister of the Interior is still quite wrong. According to the assistant to the security of the town hall of Marseille that we were able to reach, the northern districts of the city have around 450 cameras. A figure, again, higher than in Tourcoing.

On the other hand, if we report these figures to the population, as Gerald Darmanin suggests, the Minister of the Interior is quite right. Tourcoing, a city of less than 100,000 people, actually has more cameras per inhabitant than the northern districts of Marseille.

How to explain this difference? Notably because installing a camera in the street is a political choice. It is a decision and a competence which rests with the mayor. Depending on his label or his convictions, there will be more or less video surveillance. This is why some cities are more equipped than others.

Another explanation: the town hall of Marseille concedes that it is difficult to install cameras in certain cities in the northern districts. “Their lifespan is barely 48 hours”, according to the security assistant. Despite these voluntary degradations, the municipality is still considering adding cameras but above all pleads for more human resources to fight against trafficking.