La Londe-les-Maures: A Coastline Under Close Watch
Mayor François de Canson reviews the summer security measures, praising the excellent coordination of all forces.
It was time to review the summer season during a meeting at the Pôle Nautique. The mayor congratulated all the actors mobilized since July 2 to ensure the security of the municipality.
Municipal police officers, CRS, gendarmes, SNSM lifeguards, Garde Régionale Forestière, Comité Communal Feux de Forêts (CCFF), firefighters, and riders from the Garde Républicaine worked to guarantee a peaceful summer for residents and the many holidaymakers.
“We must also note the support of the Service Réserve Jeunesse (Réserve Opérationnelle de la Gendarmerie) with the Détachement Estival de la Protection des Populations (DEPP),” specifies Warrant Officer Nicolas Moulin.
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“The turnout on our beaches was very high, but the security services, fully mobilized, showed a flawless professionalism that made it possible to welcome holidaymakers and swimmers under the best conditions, despite the scorching heat,” assured François de Canson.
The mayor recalled the commitment of the Municipality: “This summer again, the Town made the safety of its inhabitants, its shopkeepers, and holidaymakers a priority by organizing, with all local and national forces, a comprehensive plan that proved its full relevance to ensure security on the beaches, at sea, and across the entire communal territory.”
A coastline under close watch
The surveillance system for the three-kilometer-long coastline was strengthened this year. The municipality benefited from the presence of five CRS, one more than the previous summer, including one of the five female CRS assigned to beaches nationwide.
Alongside the 14 lifeguards, they watched over the beaches of Tamaris, Argentière, and Miramar.
The results, however, are mixed, as pointed out by Brigadier-Chief Christophe Soto of the CRS 53 from Marseille: “The season ends with a positive result regarding surveillance and prevention actions. Unfortunately, despite the intervention of all forces present, we deplore the drowning of an elderly person in a supervised area.”
During the season, emergency services took charge of four near-drownings and intervened 14 times for minor ailments or injuries, in collaboration with the firefighters.
The lifeguards also provided assistance on 11 occasions to vessels in difficulty (sailboats, paddleboards, kayaks). Furthermore, first aid stations provided 557 minor treatments, mainly for jellyfish or insect stings.
Regarding regulations, prevention was prioritized, although sanctions were necessary. Thirty-one warnings were given for non-compliance with fishing or navigation rules.
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Fourteen procedures were initiated against illegal street vending, and eleven fines were issued for non-compliance with the smoking ban on the beach. Finally, four nautical fines penalized speeding or prohibited anchoring.
A general mobilization
Security was also ensured by the deterrent and appreciated presence of six riders from the Garde Républicaine, who patrolled the coastline all summer long.
Offshore, the twenty volunteers of the SNSM station of La Londe-les-Maures carried out more than twenty interventions, assisting 55 people on capsized or stranded vessels.
In town, the Municipal Police, with nineteen officers and relying on a network of sixty-two cameras, increased patrols day and night, while managing the Opération Tranquillité Vacances.
Finally, the firefighters were also on all fronts. According to the head of the Centre d’Incendie et de Secours, Laurent Nogaro, about 500 emergency responses to assist individuals were carried out. The firefighters also fought several fire outbreaks, including the one in Châteauvert in early July, and lent a hand during major incidents in Var, notably in Taradeau and Correns.
Prevention in the forest massifs was carried out by three young Gardes Régionaux Forestiers and the constant patrols of the CCFF.
An effective coordination which, for François de Canson, made it possible to offer everyone “a calm, safe, and peaceful summer.”
Photos Philippe OLIVIER.