Drug trafficking on Rue Trachel in Nice: residents launch petition
Residents of Rue Trachel in Nice are mobilising in response to a resurgence of drug trafficking in their buildings. A petition has been launched despite promises of increased police resources made by mayor Éric Ciotti.
Rue Trachel in Nice: drug trafficking resumes, residents mobilise again
According to Google News FR — Crime (fr), residents of Rue Trachel in Nice have launched a petition to denounce the resurgence of drug trafficking in their buildings. The situation echoes a similar mobilisation that took place several months earlier in this area, which has become a symbolic issue for UDR mayor Éric Ciotti.
In April, shortly after his election, Ciotti visited the location to announce reinforcements of municipal police officers. Residents today regret a situation that has changed little.
Entrance halls overrun, recurring damage
"They get inside the buildings, our door is currently broken," explains Thibault*, a resident of the street. Dominique, a property owner in the same building since 2021, confirms: "There are sometimes twenty or thirty people in the entrance hall."
She describes a situation that has progressively deteriorated. "At first, it was manageable, but it has come back with a vengeance. They told us the place was strategic to avoid cameras. I barely spend time at home at the moment. Since June, I'm more often at a friend's place."
Damage is daily according to residents: a large vase broken, rubbish, vomit, pools of alcohol in the common areas. A resident of Rue de Dijon, neighbouring the area, reports police interventions on the floors due to the presence of nitrous oxide. "They go from balcony to balcony," she recounts.
Police presence deemed insufficient
Whilst residents acknowledge a daily police presence — "it responds when we ask" — they believe it does not address the problem fundamentally. "There is a police presence during the day, but it doesn't solve the problem, or only at a particular moment," emphasises Pierre-Antoine*, also a resident of the neighbourhood.
Dominique calls for the opening of the police station located nearby, which is currently for administrative purposes only. "What I would like is for that site to be opened, for residents to be secured."
Several neighbours are now considering leaving the area. "I'm a tenant, but as soon as I can leave, I want to leave," says Thibault*, who also calls for a "new economic impetus to revitalise the neighbourhood". Dominique is more direct: "If this continues, I'm going to sell, I don't want to work to pay for cameras and repairs."
Divided opinions on the neighbourhood's development
Not all residents share this assessment. A resident of the area testifies to a notable improvement. "I've seen a big change in a very short space of time. At night, there's not a sound. The people are very friendly."
Another resident, present in the neighbourhood for twenty years, attributes this change to Ciotti's election. "Since the elections, that's finished. They may have moved elsewhere, but my street is more secure," she notes.
The municipality defends its record, promises to continue
From the municipality's side, the first deputy in charge of security and crime prevention, Françoise Souliman, defends the action taken over the past six months. "The situation on Rue Trachel can always be improved. We're working a lot on Trachel," she states.
She cites figures: 188 people arrested in the first six months of the year, compared with 65 over the same period in 2024, representing an increase of 181 per cent. The municipal police are present there from 11am to 9pm, and eight establishments have been closed.
Souliman calls for coordinated action with co-ownership syndicates and the national police. "We are at the disposal of the syndicates to give them advice, to go to the common areas when they wish, since we know that is one of the axes of the petition. We will never abandon Trachel," she concludes.
The first names followed by an asterisk have been changed at the request of those concerned.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)