The security problems now facing Emmanuel Macron, France’s new president
When the police do show up, it is to carry out raids with heavily armed special forces and helicopters. But without the everyday security and regular policing, these one-off raids mean very little to improving day-to-day security. After one high-profile raid of drugs outlets in the La Castellane area of Marseille, for example, the trade moved seamlessly across town to the Felix Pyat estate.
Neglected for decades, the drugs trade is often the most powerful social organization in these estates, providing jobs and status for generations of young men. The international “French connection” system of transit trafficking has been replaced with “narco-banditisme”. This supplies domestic demand: France has the largest per capita consumption of cannabis in the EU. Cannabis resin is the staple of this trade, known colloquially as le shit, and is brought in via organized crime from Morocco to Spain and then sped across the border into France on what’s called the “go fast” route.
Guns and jails
This trade is dependent on weapons, which has lead to a proliferation of guns on the streets of French cities. Weapons like the AK-47 (colloquially “la kalach”) have become the go-to tool for petty robberies across France. Coming via organized crime networks stretching into the Balkans, this trafficking route has been linked to the way the guns used in the Charlie Hebdo and Paris in 2015 attacks were sourced. Without effective policing of the daily grind of drugs trafficking, heavy weapons will remain in demand in France and present any potential terrorist with a plentiful and available stockpile from which to operate.
The prominence of organized crime also means people from these suburbs often spend time in prison. French prisons, however, are often insecure with prisoners living in terrible conditions. They have been condemned by the European Court of Human rights. Many recent perpetrators of terrorism in France spent time in prison. Reforming this system, where overcrowding is rife, is going to require significant political backing for funding and reform.
The thread that runs through these problems is the need for an integrated and coherent approach to improve the security situation in France. It is not practical to concentrate on security only when it becomes an emergency, after a terrorist strikes and lives are lost. Rather, Macron will need to tackle the chronic, daily, security issues France faces and overcome the institutional atrophy and social marginalization which are such powerful drivers of insecurity.
There is a reason, however, that previous administrations have not tackled these issues: they are politically explosive and economically costly. In a presidency that is already looking crowded with political challenges and policy promises, where building a broad base of support without a party after the parliamentary elections in June looks difficult at best, there is a risk that these issues will be once again pushed to the back of the queue.
Joseph Downing is Marie Curie Fellow, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). This article is published courtesy of The Conversation (under Creative Commons-Attribution / No derivative).
