Crime and personal safety
France > Basics > Crime
While violent crime involving tourists is rare in France, petty theft is endemic in all the big cities, along the Côte d'Azur, on beaches and at major tourist sights. In Paris, be especially wary of pickpockets at train stations and on the metro and RER lines; RER line B, serving Charles de Gaulle airport and Gare du Nord, and subway line number 1 are particularly notorious. Cars with foreign number-plates face a high risk of break-ins, as do rental cars, which are easily spotted by their non-local registration plates. Vehicles are rarely stolen, but car radios and luggage – even if locked out of sight – make tempting targets. Motorbike thieves operate in big cities and along the Mediterranean coast, targetting cars at traffic lights or in jams; don't leave valuables on the seats and keep car windows shut and doors locked at all times.It obviously makes sense to take the normal precautions: not flashing wads of notes or travellers' cheques around; carrying your bag or wallet securely; never leaving cameras and other valuables lying around; and parking your car overnight in an attended garage or within sight of a police station. In addition, make sure you have a good insurance policy and keep a separate record of cheque numbers, credit card numbers – and the phone numbers for cancelling them – and the relevant details of all your valuables. If you need to report a theft, go along to the Commissariat de Police (addresses are given in the Guide for the major cities), where they will fill out a constat de vol. The first thing they'll ask for is your passport, and vehicle documents if relevant. Although the police are not always as co-operative as they might be, it's their duty to assist you if you've lost your passport or all your money. If you have an accident while driving, you must fill in and sign a constat à l'aimable (jointly agreed statement); car insurers are supposed to give you this with the policy, though in practice few seem to have heard of it. For non-criminal driving offences such as speeding, the police can impose on-the-spot fines or even take away your licence. People caught smuggling or possessing drugs, even a few grams of marijuana, are liable to find themselves in jail, and consulates will not be sympathetic. This is not to say that hard-drug consumption isn't a visible activity: there are scores of kids dealing in poudre (heroin) in the big French cities and the authorities seem unable to do much about it. As a rule, people are no more nor less paranoid about cannabis busts than they are in the UK or North America. Should you be arrested on any charge, you have the right to contact your consulate. Some readers might be concerned by Corsica's reputation for nationalist-separatist violence, but the reality is that the sporadic arson attacks, bombings and shootings rarely, if ever, affect tourists. Corsican paramilitary groups either target each other or symbols of state power such as police, government buildings and post offices. It therefore pays to be vigilant in town centres and around public buildings.
Pages in section ‘Crime’: The police, Racism in France.
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