Drug problem worsening in France

[MAD87]

There's certainly no quick fix - as Blaze says, it's disheartening to seee small cities like Rennes and Poitiers riddled with drugs (and bullets). We can't fill the ciies with police (unaffordable and takes time to train up new officers). I gather part of the problem is that countries producing the drugs are turning their attention away from N. America to Europe and most of the shipments seized now are destined for Europe.
Time to get tough maybe: a firearms amnesty initially, a major push to rid the "halls" of dealers, etc.

[Blaze]

Sadly we are living in a world that is obsessed by money and power. The desire for parents to give their children what they didn't have or were deprived of (for example during the War) has created expectations. Many parents today spend a ridiculous amount of money on their children at Christmas - why ? The notion of a simple gift has been overtaken by sheer commercialism and sometimes the need not to be outdone by other parents. These same parents will then complain about the price of electricity and water.
Long gone are the times when people were only too happy to have a roof over their head, to be warm, clothed and fed and have something left over.
Today younger people want everything now - and in many cases they seem to think it's a right.

None of us would want to live in a quartier populaire in France any more than they would like to live in a housing scheme in Scotland. High unemployment, boredom, lack of education in many cases, lack of imagination etc ... all lead to finding ways of earning easy money. Thieving and drugs make life hell for other residents, and the police/justice system hasn't yet found a way to deal with it.

I agree with Quiksilver - we could be heading for another fall of the Roman Empire due to our excesses ..... Society seems to be breaking down, it's every man for himself, no thought or care for others. Is this because many parents today are not teaching their children how to live in society, good manners ? Or are we going to blame internet for the ills of society today ??

[demi]

"Sadly we are living in a world that is obsessed by money and power. "

I do agree with that statement, Blaze but hasn't it always been the case? Look at al the wars in histroy. But of course many people would not have known about current events due to lack of global communication.

[Hotrodder]

They're not suddenly going to become model citizens looking for steady jobs in either case? Like a lot of social ills, it's going to take generations to get society back on track, even if it's possible. I'm pretty sure we're living out the beginning of the end, just as all those other 'civilisations' declined and disappeared. The end is nigh-ish

I am glad you pointed this out. I have felt this is the case for quite a while now. Many of the long gone civilisations were highly developed with sophisticated infrastructure in place for the benefit of all but something went wrong and they all collapsed. I think we in this "modern" era are displaying blind arrogance if we think it can't happen to us as well. I decided in my early 20s I wasn't going to have any kids. I could see even back then that I would never have the earning power to give kids a better life than I had.

[Biloute]

It is true that things are looking bad for many reasons:
- society has allowed itself to be imbued with human rights, or rather the rights of people as individuals. Political correctness has done everything to make us believe that the rights of aggressors are more important than the right of an entire population to live in safety.
- the hierarchy of laws (which we call "état de droit" in French) means that any judgment rendered by a judge can be contradicted by another judge and the procedures take months and months (when a thug decides to eliminate a competitor, he is executed the next day !)
- the police, although armed, do not dare to fire because, even if they can prove self-defense, they risk losing their job and their dignity by waiting months to be acquitted...
- we only know how to add laws and not remove them, which makes the law a real labyrinth in which lawyers and judges will always find something to excuse the criminals.
- our laws are more suited to apple thieves than murderers
- our prisons contain 40% foreign criminals and are overcrowded, so judges no longer send criminals behind bars
- the excuse of minority encourages the employment of children for small jobs because they have little chance of being convicted. And parents turn a blind eye to the delinquency of their young children who bring a lot of money into the home
- the drug world refuses the laws of the Republic and has established its own laws which mainly consist of making gunpowder talk. And the big shots are much faster in carrying out sentences
- the porosity of borders and the globalization of trade open the door of our country to drug imports (only 2% of containers are checked in the major ports !)
- the drug trade brings in between 4 and 6 billion euros in France every year, which gives the big shots enormous means to invest in fast cars and weapons. Not to mention that a good portion of this money goes back into the country's economy, to the government's great pleasure
Drug trafficking is growing at a huge speed: even small towns are no longer spared ! We should act quickly but:
- the government knows that it is in power for a short time and prefers to do nothing to avoid riots like last year following the death of Nahel, killed by a police officer
- the Ministers of the Interior and Justice disagree on everything and Macron is doing his usual "at the same time"
- parliament is divided into 3 blocs that disagree on all subjects
Retailleau seems to be flexing his muscles but I'm afraid he will be prevented from acting...
So, no, the situation is not going to improve tomorrow morning !

[Polarengineer]

BUT, The sun is shining.

[Blaze]

That's very well put Biloute even if I had to smile at some points !
But don't think it's just France with some these problems - just look at the UK government !
People and societies have changed everywhere for many reasons. Just how we will adapt is a big question.

[Quiksilver]

Is this because many parents today are not teaching their children how to live in society, good manners ? Or are we going to blame internet for the ills of society today ??

I think it's a combination of many parents not knowing how to teach their children or set them any sort of example coupled with a complete lack of moral and social education in schools, not to mention discipline. Going back a bit, if the parents were lacking, some very good, dedicated teachers could make all the difference. Vocation seems to be a dirty word nowadays, but all was not lost when teachers (and people in the medical professions) had a sense of vocation and helped children out of otherwise difficult home situations. I'm not in a position to assess current teaching methods, but the results do largely seem to speak for themselves.

[Blaze]

Many teachers feel strongly that it's up to parents to teach their children moral and social behaviour and for schools to teach the "three Rs".
There will always be children from families with problems (single parents, parents unemployed, drinkers, druggies etc and this can cut across all levels of society) and dedicated teachers could, of course, make a difference. But classes are often too big and many well-intentioned teachers can't cope. They already risk the wrath of the parents, too ready to interfere these days because little Johnnie has sent mummy a text telling her that teacher has been cross with him.

It's great when a child from a troubled background can be helped, but there seem to be so many of them ... and it has to be the right declic ...

[Chappers51]

When I started teaching in 1972, it was a vocation and I gave as many hours as possible within and beyond the school day for the pupils I taught, which I can’t say enhanced my personal life. We had opportunities for after school clubs, evening discos, cinema clubs and many more, I gave a great deal of my time to children from « deprived «  areas.

Then came directives of the number of hours per year, training days, the pressure of Ofsted, exam results and new entrants who (quite rightly) wanted a life of their own, by that time i was in management so didn’t have to keep to those hours.

Everyone who identifies a problem suggests that schools should teach………most recently issues around suicide, mindfulness, knife crime, plus more. Many subjects have either been dropped from the curriculum or seen their time reduced, language teaching and the arts being two significant areas. School trips are limited because of the additional requirements both home and abroad, competition isn’t always appreciated. I could go on.

Now parents talk about their children as their friend - they’re not, they’re children and need parental discipline to support the school. Even 20 years ago parents were appearing at the school office to complain before the senior staff had been informed of a problem.

I’ve worked in difficult inner city areas as well as more affluent authorities. I was aware of drug issues and even here in a Dordogne village I’m aware of the problems but people turn a blind eye.

I don’t know what the answer will be. I feel the gap between the haves and have nots is widening and I know too many youngsters don’t want to follow a career for life so society is losing those professionals on whom we all rely - doctors, nurses, teachers, dentists. Where will it end? I wish I knew.

Sorry just a few Saturday night thoughts.