Crowds of youth are moving in the Citizens’ Square sector. As a dissuasive measure, Chateauguay is using the same method as Montreal in the latter’s metro stations : classical music.
«We are not saying that there is a delinquency and criminality problem, » said Chateauguay Mayoress Nathalie Simon at a press gathering on December 17 announcing the putting in place of a « cooperative step » to improve the « peacefulness » of the downtown area. « We mustn’t be alarmed, but we have to be vigilant, » she noted.
Hiring of a criminologist
Chateauguay has also granted a contract of about $20,000 to Nourredine Razik, a sociologist-criminologist. Severak groups and intervenors will be called upon, including police officers, the Maison des Jeunes youth centre, local school boards and Gestaforme, to trace a description of the problem. « I wish to adopt a proactive approach and meet everyone in the field. Without that, the solutions that I will propose will be far from reality, » explains Razik, who will produce a report in six months with his recommendations.
The Mayoress nevertheless remained vague regarding the problem which she was hoping to settle. There has been a question of improving the feeling of security of the people who frequent the sector. There is apparently also a problem of a break of the urban mobility, and an interference between the users of the Square and the youth.
Some measures already taken
Some measures have already been taken : besides the classical music which plays in the loudspeakers as « a measure of making life more enjoyable, » the lighting has been changed, and the codes of the Wi-Fi signals of establishments in the sector are renewed every month. The police patrol there on a regular basis. And last summer, a security agent was hired. « But we want to find a solution other than hiring an agent on a permanent basis, » said Diane Trahan, Citizens Life director for the City of Chateauguay.
Who is Nourredine Razik?
A long-time Chateauguay resident, Razik is a trained criminologist who studied human sciences at the University of Montreal. For more than 25 years he has worked in the social services network, notably in juvenile protection and readaptation.
In 1995, he was hired by then-Mayor Bosco Bourcier to proceed with a crimininologist hearing following an incident of racial character that happened near the Maison des Jeunes.
Razik has also been an independent candidate in the municipal elections of 2013 in the Robutel district (won by councillor Michel Pinard). He has also been an official candidate in the federal elections of 1988.
(Translation Dan Rosenburg)
