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The local security contracts (“CLS”) introduced in 1997 mark an important evolution in the role of security in the policy for towns – and in the role of the policy for towns within our law in practice. Thus, the objective of this article is, using the example of the “CLS” and of the texts preceding it in this field, to outline a law for the policy for towns – while also immediately noting the limitations. The “CLS” are a quasi-contractual move, the instrument of a right to security and to prevention, which privileges education in citizenship, proximity, social insertion and solidarity in an action plan, and as close to the ground as possible. The programme was introduced after a careful analysis of the application territory for such a contract. The “CLS” is not the first concerting move in this legal aspect of the policy for towns, but it is astonishing that in this case it was introduced via a simple circular. The application territories for these contracts had large ambitions, but to successfully implement a renewed policy it seems one must also raise the question of means. One must indeed reconcile the own logic of certain actions with the wider policy for towns. In conclusion, one can also note an important contribution from the “CLS”, which will certainly extend and partly remodel our law in practice: this is a will to evaluate public policies, and a will to make all the players in such public policies cooperate together.