In Foix, the new security policy carried by mayor Jérôme Matéos, newly elected in March 2026, is already sparking lively debates among the population. Between assumed support and concerns about a safety drift, residents are struggling to agree on the direction taken by the municipality.
As soon as he arrived at the head of the town hall, Jérôme Matéos initiated an overhaul considered ambitious of the municipal police: increase in numbers, increased presence on the ground, provision of non-lethal weapons and deployment of new cameras. the entrance to the town.
An orientation assumed by the new majority, which intends to respond to what it considers to be a rise in incivility in public space. The head of the municipal police himself recently felt that the service was “too often confined to a secondary role”.
Concretely, the police presence will gradually intensify: two officers are currently patrolling the streets of the Ariège prefecture, there will soon be five, with a stated objective of eight municipal police officers in the long term.
In a city on a human scale where residents meet and know each other, this rise in power does not go unnoticed.
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Between support and concern in the streets of Foix
In the city center, the subject is now essential in daily conversations, well beyond the debates of the municipal council. In front of cafes, on squares, opinions conflict.
Some residents welcome a measure deemed necessary. A retired couple we met on rue Bayle said: “We need more security at our age.” They say they have noticed, in recent years, more tensions and incivility.
But others express a completely different reading of the situation. “It’s not the solution, we’re becoming more fearful, even though it’s a quiet city,” says Marina, encountered in the city center. For her, the priority should go elsewhere: “We must invest in culture, education, everything that promotes contact and living well together.”
A few meters further on, a young woman shares this skepticism, while qualifying: “I understand the question of security, but we must encourage the connection.”
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A debate that touches on the identity of the city
Behind the question of the municipal police, it is in reality a certain vision of Foix and life in the city that is emerging. Between the search for tranquility, the feeling of insecurity and attachment to social ties, residents project different expectations on municipal action.
“Before, I went out alone in the evening and I wasn’t afraid,” confides a retiree I met on Rue de Lazema, a symbol of a feeling of loss of serenity expressed by some of the local residents. Conversely, others believe that the security response should not become the municipality’s sole priority.
A majority which demands a choice of campaign
For Jérôme Matéos, this reform is part of a clear commitment made to voters: to make security a central axis of his mandate.
With this in mind, strengthening municipal police resources, equipping with non-lethal devices and video protection are presented as complementary tools intended to improve public tranquility.
The fact remains that the decision divides even among the ranks of the inhabitants, between those who see it as an expected response and those who fear a too radical transformation of the face of the city.
An expectation of results in a city under political tension
In the midst of these clear-cut positions, some adopt a more pragmatic posture. Yvan, a resident of Foix, sums up the state of mind of part of the population: “He was elected, so out of respect for democracy, he must respect his commitments.” But he immediately adds that it will be necessary to judge on the results: “We still have to ask him for results.”
In a close election, expectations remain high. In Foix, security policy is no longer limited to institutional discourse: it is now evaluated on a daily basis, in the streets, in contact with residents.
And it is perhaps there, between a café and a village square, that the true support, or rejection, of this new municipal orientation will be played out.
