New national burglary figures: How does your area of France fare?
The newly-released data shows a rise in burglaries and most types of crime - although rates vary and are decreasing in some areas
The new report shows that Gironde and Bouches-du-Rhône had the highest number of burglaries per 1,000 inhabitantsAudio und werbung / Shutterstock / Flourish
Gironde and Bouches-du-Rhône were the worst-hit departments for burglaries in 2023, while Creuse and Corrèze were the least affected, a new report from the Interior Ministry shows.
The report shows the rate of break-ins rose nationally by around 3% - although this is a lower rate of increase than the year before, suggesting the figures are stabilising. Some areas, including Bouches-du-Rhône, show a drop year on year.
Most indicators of ‘delinquency’ - including car theft, violent assault, and burglaries - have increased.
Burglaries by department
The Interior Ministry’s report, published on January 31, shows that the year-on-year rate is decreasing in many areas, with the most significant drops seen in Bouches-du-Rhône, Loire, and Loire-Atlantique.
Pic: Interior Ministry / The Connexion
The departments with the highest rates are:
Gironde: 10.25 (burglaries per 1,000 inhabitants)
Bouches-du-Rhône: 10.25
Val-de-Marne, Nord, Vaucluse and 15 other departments: 7.25
In 16 departments, the rate was much lower, at 2.35 burglaries per 1,000 inhabitants, including in Manche, Côtes-d'Armor, and Haute-Saône.
Nationwide, vehicle thefts increased by 5%, with 16 departments registering a 20% rise.
Vehicle theft increased by 4%, and thefts from vehicles by 5%. However, thefts of vehicle accessories dropped by 9% year-on-year (in contrast to the year before, when thefts of this type soared by 30%).
Theft and mugging
Pic: Interior Ministry / The Connexion
Rates of ‘theft against the person’ and mugging are down. Violent theft (without weapons) is down by 8%, and non-violent robberies are down 3%.
Armed robberies increased, with 8,700 recorded by the police in 2023, a rise of 2% on the figures for 2022.
Thefts of this kind tend to be among younger people, and more often against people with foreign nationality. However, only 17% of suspects were not of French nationality in 2023.
“This type of theft is typical of the crime observed on public transport,” said the Interior Ministry in its report, noting that “the number of victims of theft and violence on public transport fell overall in 2023.”
Urban vandalism
The rate of urban vandalism increased by 3% in 2023, the highest year-on-year rise since 2018.
This was largely driven by the urban violence in June 2023 that followed the death of Nahel Merzouk, said the ministry.
During the riots that followed his death, intentional damage increased by 140% in one week (June 27 to July 3), over the same week in 2022.
Homicides
Homicides passed the symbolic threshold of 1,000 victims in 2023, with an increase of 5%. The figure for attempted murder also increased by 13%.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin admitted that this number was a “problem” in an interview with Télématin on January 31.
Sexual assault
The number of sexual assault offences also increased over 2022 figures by 8%, although the rise was less than it had been in previous years. This rise is thought to reflect a high number of victims coming forward to report sexual assault.
In particular, the number of rapes and attempted rapes soared by 10% in 2023 over 2022 figures, with 42,700 cases recorded by police.
