New security prefect for Marseille

Marseille port

In just short two years, the port city of Marseille has seen three different prefects, or heads of local security. The latest man to take the helm is Alan Gardère, who will officially take office on 24^th August.

There is no doubt Gardère has a job ahead of him. Marseille does not have the strongest public safety record, with attacks on young women reported to be a daily occurrence, amid a tradition of widespread gang violence.

To compare, in the first half of 2011 the number of thefts in the Bouches-du-Rhone department rose by 14 per cent, and the number of armed robberies increased by 18 per cent. In Marseilles, the figures rose by 40 per cent.

According to the Nice Matin, in a city of around 680,000 residents, there are only 400 police officers. Monaco, on the other hand, has as many officers for its two square miles.

Apparently, neither residents nor the Elysée Marseilles were satisfied with the work of outgoing security prefect Giles Leclair. In December 2010, he was charged with the task of making the city safer. But, as he told a local newspaper, "I can not alone solve the problems of a city that has insufficient financial resources, yet a strong tradition of gang violence and a 50-year-old immigration problem."

Unlike his predecessor, Gardère will be armed with an additional 100 police officers and a new extensive video surveillance network.