An online tool that enables members of the public to report incidents such as burglaries, theft, or vandalism, is to be rolled out across the country after a successful trial.
The tool has been trialled in Gironde (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) since the start of the year. It is now set to be operational everywhere, said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on August 24, calling it an Interior Ministry “revolution”.
“We are simplifying and modernising complaints to law enforcement,” said Mr Darmanin.
The tool - available on the Interior Ministry website here - is free to use. It enables people to report incidents - of which the perpetrator is unknown - to police and other relevant authorities.
Reportable offences include:
Burglaries
Theft (for example, of a bike)
Vandalism, damage, and graffiti
Sexual or physical harassment
Domestic violence
Discrimination or racial assault
Drug trafficking
Animal mistreatment
Online banking or financial scam
The site can also be read in English, via the FR/EN dropdown menu to the top right of the page.
To use the tool, you must first log in with FranceConnect.
The website can be translated into English via the FR/EN dropdown to the top rightMasecurite.interieur.gouv.fr
To use it, click ‘Choisir sa démarche’, and then enter the town name or postcode to be directed to the correct police station. Select your nearest station, and click ‘Valider’. Then choose the type of incident you wish to report.
Ad
The tool will then take you through the relevant steps, and you will be able to make a report online, or be invited to visit the station in person if necessary.
‘Innovative tool’
In the trial, Gironde residents and victims of offences committed in the department have been able to use it to lodge a complaint without having to go to a police station or gendarmerie.
It comes after President Emmanuel Macron mentioned an “innovative tool” that will enable “all our citizens who wish to do so, to lodge a complaint from home, at any time”, in a speech made at the Ecole nationale de la magistrature in Bordeaux (Gironde).
The goal in Gironde was to have at least 40% of these kinds of public complaints come via the tool, rather than in person at police or gendarmerie stations. The aim is to make it quicker and easier for complainants, and to free up police officers for more complex tasks.
It is not intended to replace emergency services. In a police (or other) emergency, you are still advised to call 112 or 17 (or text 114 if you are hard of hearing).
