Although it is no longer used, that is the main idea behind the term: In the French capital, community officers known as “Îlotiers,” an archaic term for them, are becoming more popular.
By designating at least one specialized police officer each area, the city of Paris hopes to strengthen the “ultra proximity” of its municipal police, in keeping with its “quarter-hour” policy, which stipulates that all public services must be available to citizens within a 15-minute trip.
A Parisian needs to see a police officer every day, according to Nicolas Nordman, the deputy mayor of Paris in charge of security, who finds it “reassuring” to see blue on the street. Starting in mid-March, the mayors of the city’s twenty arrondissements will be in charge of each of the 117 districts, which will each have one police officer—and in certain circumstances, two—for a total of 206 (volunteer) officers. The majority of these districts were created between 2001 and 2002, and their populations range from 4,000 to over 20,000 in the most heavily inhabited areas.
A basic badge will be used to identify these agents, who will only patrol on foot or by bicycle. They can be reached online through a form on the city hall website. They will get in touch with callers directly to set up a meeting, thus there is now no doubt about offering a direct line. Additionally, they will attend neighborhood council meetings, which take place three or four times a year, and they will eventually be the go-to people for residents’ associations and business owners. Paris’s municipal hall, for its part, is hoping for more frequent and accurate comments.
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