The parliament did not delay in approving the orientation and programming bill for domestic security, known as “Loppsi II”. Submitted on May 27, 2009, it was adopted in the first reading by the National Assembly in less than 9 months. What does this bill contain?
Forty-six measures, many of which are a response to a series of incidents that occurred in France. Among them, cyber investigation: the police have the ability to monitor a suspect remotely. They can capture the sites he/she visits. Another measure: the facilitation of genetic fingerprinting. Only the scientific and technical police will be authorized to perform genetic fingerprinting, as opposed to the previous law requiring the presence of a judicial police officer. Additionally, there is the filtering of pedo-pornographic sites. If a website contains pedo-pornographic elements, a court can impose the blocking of the website by internet providers.
Nice: a pilot city
It is well known that Nice belongs to the same political family as the government. Moreover, the UMP deputy for Alpes-Maritimes, Éric Ciotti, was the rapporteur for the domestic security bill. He submitted an amendment aimed at expanding the missions of the municipal police: they would be authorized to perform tasks of the national police, such as breathalyzer checks, etc.
Being a pioneer in laws proposed by the government, two measures recommended in the “Loppsi II” are already in effect in the capital of the Côte d’Azur. The curfew for minors under 13 years old established by Christian Estrosi. During school holidays, on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, those under 13 are not allowed to wander the streets alone between 11 PM and 5 AM. The town hall has the authority to withhold certain municipal allowances from families if they do not comply with these measures.
Another measure implemented by the city: video surveillance. Alpes-Maritimes ranks seventh in the scale of violence and fourth in terms of threats. Currently, there are 220 cameras in Nice. By the end of the year, 550 cameras should be installed in the municipality. Nice remains a champion in security within France. In 2005, residents of the Libération district mobilized for a police station at the South train station. The mobilization was fruitful: early 2010, it will come into operation. This reference center will catalog images from surveillance cameras.
Still, the “Loppsi II” bill must also be adopted by the Senate for the law to appear in the official journal. This should not be too difficult considering that a majority of senators are also part of the large French right-wing family.
