What makes our Principality such a unique environment is the feeling of security for ourselves and our children. We wear our jewellery, watches and finery with comfort, in safety. Our children roam freely during the day, occasionally helped by a courteous Police Officer to cross the street.
These privileges and liberties of living in Monaco are no accident and are ceremoniously visited and reaffirmed each year by a New Year address from the Police Commissioner in the presence of H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince.
And so Police Commissioner, Richard Marangoni gave his address this New Year with our Prince and also to H.E. Mr Serge Telle, the Minister of State, Mr Patrice Cellario, Minister of the Interior, and numerous other figures. This important and traditional event this year was held in the conference room at the Oceanographic Museum.
In his speech of acknowledgement and encouragement our Sovereign Prince noted that: “Security has always been one of the advantages offered by our country. It is up to us, then, to work together to maintain it. Each of us must play our part: the men and women whose noble calling it is to guarantee our security, of course, but also the rest of us, through our discipline and our understanding with regard to the measures put in place to improve vigilance.”
Following his discourse about the security situation in 2017 and the implementation of the Police 2020 plan, which includes an increase in staffing (which contrasts well with other cities where cutbacks are the norm), Richard Marangoni reminded his audience of the ever-improving results of the vigilance provided by Monaco’s Police Officers. Overall crime, which is so rare in the Principality in comparison to elsewhere, had fallen by 28% between 2012 and 2016, and street crime by 43%. While the situation might have been expected to stabilise to some extent, with such a positive record, this trend has continued further in 2017 with a reduction of 1% in overall crime and a reduction of 16% in street crime. Burglaries fell by 17%.
Richard Marangoni also discussed “Monaco, A Safe City”, a prevention-based initiative which seeks to strengthen the Principality’s security architecture.
At the end of the ceremony, the Sovereign Prince awarded the Exceptional Service Medal for acts of courage and dedication to 19 police officers who particularly distinguished themselves during 2016 and 2017.
Princess Grace Hospital – Ever Improving Services and Record Activity
In the presence of H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince, Mr. Patrick Bini, the Director of the Princess Grace Hospital, accompanied, among others, by the Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Mr. Didier Gamerdinger, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. André Garino and the Chairman of the Establishment’s Medical Committee, Dr. Pierre Lavagna, presented his best wishes to all the hospital’s professionals.
The year 2017, was another year with record activity, namely:
- The number of admissions, up by 5.5%,
- The number of surgical operations, increased by 6%,
- The number of consultations, up by 3,3 %,
- The number of endoscopies, up by 6%,
- The activities of all the technical platforms are increasing;
- All the Medical services as well as the CRIII, with occupancy rates of almost 100%.
Mr. Bini also mentioned the opening of important new departments from the first half of 2018, such as the Palliative Care Hospitalisation Unit, a new Dialysis department, new premises for the Blood Transfusion Centre and a new sector of scheduled consultations in orthopaedics.
The year 2018 therefore is one that has an impressive array of planned new services. Finally, the Director of the Princess Grace Hospital wished to announce, not without emotion and “with a sense of duty accomplished,” his choice to retire on 1 July 2018, after 40 years of hospital management, including ten years as the Head of the CHPG.
In his speech, H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince warmly commended Patrick Bini’s work and thanked him in particular for “leaving a hospital whose activity is constantly growing and whose budgetary control has resulted in a surplus over the period of 2008-2016.”
