Crime and security

Three charged with taking bribes to provide false French tests for residency cards

The charges relate to the test de connaissance du français. It is thought that more than 250 applicants could be involved in a region of west France

Chronopost, Colissimo, and Mondial Relay: Beware delivery scams in France

The surge in Christmas shopping always leads to an uptick of scams at this time of year

Police appeal for help as thefts of internet and phone cables increase in Brittany

‘These acts of vandalism threaten access to the telephone and internet network’, say police

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Cyclist stabbed in row over road rights in Lyon

The argument with two men on an e-scooter reportedly broke out over right of way

French police arrest stowaway after flight from New York

The female passenger was searched as usual at security but managed to slip past two identity and boarding checks

Man accused of murder of British girl in France dies of illness

The man had been in prison pending investigation of the alleged murder of an 11-year-old British girl

Photo: This Frenchman is sought by Europol over alleged €5m fraud

The Luxembourg-born ‘businessman and lawyer’ is now on Europol’s ‘most wanted fugitives’ list

Warning after data of 500,000 Auchan shoppers is targeted in cyber attack

Customers should watch out for scam emails and calls, alerts the supermarket chain

Dozens fall ill in French train station as man pours toxic liquid on floor

The man spilled the liquid and then ‘calmly boarded a train’, police say

French prosecutors call to make Le Pen ineligible in 2027 election

The sentence depends on if the court agrees, and how it would hand down the ruling if so

Walker picking mushrooms in Var loses leg after being shot by hunter, 82

A gendarmerie investigation has now been opened into ‘unintentional violence with a weapon’

Rising cost of vehicle spare parts in France leads to increase in thefts

Official figures reveal a sharp increase in thieves targeting car parts such as bumpers and doors

Kalashnikov rifle and other weapons found hidden at Nice train station

A passenger spotted the arsenal partly concealed in a false ceiling in the public toilets

Debate over whether to keep Olympic surveillance system in Paris

Decision on whether to retain the network is yet to be made, however civil rights groups have raised concerns about privacy

You can now report certain crimes anywhere in France using online tool

The new tool is now live, and aims to get a police officer or gendarme to review your report report within 48 hours

Can you help identify ‘cold case’ of woman in France with UK coin?

The teenage girl is one of 46 unsolved 'suspicious death' cases highlighted in a new appeal by Interpol

Clothes found of possible eighth victim of French 1970s serial killer

Excavations are taking place in an area where the late killer said he had buried victims

Criminal inquiry after farmer killed during wild boar hunt in France

Hunters were called to reenact the positions they were at the time the fatal shot was fired

‘Like losing a limb’: French musician’s appeal for stolen cello

The instrument is worth €1.3m, but the cellist has said her appeal is not about the ‘commercial value’

More charges brought against bottled water firms supplying France

‘A financial settlement must not put an end to investigations into fraud’, says NGO Foodwatch

Warning of fake restaurant scam on delivery apps

Customers are being urged to take care when ordering

Man arrested in Switzerland over death of French student

The 22-year old suspect had been previously convicted of rape and was subject to an order to leave France, but paperwork authorising his extradition was reportedly delayed

Death of Paris student: What is ‘The Sorority’ app that sent alert?

The free app is designed to alert other users in the event that members feel unsafe or at risk of male violence

Crackdown on knife-carrying in France: what are the rules?

Authorities are increasingly applying the existing law more rigorously, but critics say it is ‘too ambiguous’

Body of missing student found buried in Paris wood

The teenager had been reported missing a day earlier by her parents whom she was due to visit

Record in contraband alcohol and tobacco seized in south-west France

Goods had come from Andorra and are believed to have been intended for sale in Haute-Garonne and Tarn departments

French wife in mass rape case angered by suggestions of complicity

Former husband admits drugging her and letting up to 50 strangers assault her. Defence lawyers ask if she has exhibitionist traits

Detainee escapes during court hearing in the south of France

The man jumped over the dock and fled the building and is yet to be found

I’m a rapist like others here, says Frenchman who let 50 strangers rape wife

Men who raped her were ‘aware’ she was unconscious, he told court

What update on hunt for prisoner who escaped four months ago in France?

The prisoner was travelling in a police vehicle when it was charged by armed men at a motorway toll

Mystery of severed feet in shoes found by river Seine near Paris

No body has been found but the boots have been identified as Decathlon hiking models

Alert over scam ‘useful numbers’ fridge magnets posted in letterboxes in France

A useful number magnet, with official-looking designs, is being posted into residents’ letterboxes

Suspended jail term and fine for French MP in €114,000 expenses fraud

Socialist Jean-Christophe Cambadélis has been found guilty in a criminal court in Paris

Wife raped by 50 men on husband’s invitation opts for open trial in France

‘I have nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of’, she told the courtroom, waiving her right to anonymity

French authorities launch major crackdown on illegal streaming

The watchdog has already blocked almost 200 sites since the start of the Ligue 1 football championship

Cyclist death: How did no-licence French driver hire a Lamborghini?

The 52-year-old cyclist was killed instantly when the supercar hit him at over 70 km/h

Man accused of drugging wife and letting more than 50 men rape her in France

He allegedly advertised her as ‘available to rape’ on a website. She is reported to have only found out many years later when photographs were discovered by police

Man shoots at hot air balloon flying near his French house

The shooter, who was arrested, was reportedly exasperated at seeing the balloon flying over - but the company denies excessive flights

Online tool to report burglaries to police will expand across France

The system can be used to report other incidents too, including vandalism

Gendarme's widow: ‘France’s lax approach killed my husband’

The driver who ran over the gendarmerie officer was previously known to police for traffic offences and refusing police orders

Gendarme killed by driver who refused to stop on motorway near Cannes

The deceased was a 54-year-old married father of two

Man who flooded Europe with millions of false banknotes arrested

French police coordinated the operation along with Europol and Italian anti-counterfeiters

Appeal for help after key to ancient chest missing from Dordogne chateau

Key will cost thousands of euros to replace

Warning over sophisticated holiday rental scam across France

Holidaymakers are warned to be alert to a fraudulent site when booking holiday rentals

Man shot by police after trying to start fire at Angoulême mairie

Witnesses say the 46-year-old poured petrol into one of the offices and onto two female workers

Too many drivers in France do not have insurance

‘Driving without insurance is the worst kind of gamble,’ a victims guarantee fund says, after payouts increased by 28% in 2023

Man seriously injured during illegal ‘pool squat’ sues owners in France

Now paralysed from the neck down, the man reportedly claims the accident was due to owner negligence

Toulouse ‘Madoff’ suspected of scamming €33 million is back in France

Fraudster claimed money would be invested into solar panel installations, but was instead used to fund extravagant lifestyle

Tip to limit luggage theft on French trains (and SNCF approves)

It comes as trains remain busy during the summer holiday period, increasing the chance of opportunistic thefts

Arrested Eiffel Tower climber has very British response to 32C heat

The man was stopped as he scaled the iconic monument without a shirt, ropes, gloves, or a harness

Man who dug holes near Van Gogh’s grave told to leave France

The Belarusian said he was digging the holes as part of an ‘artistic act’

Family of French explorer who died in US Titan tragedy sue for $50m

Paul-Henri Nargeolet, nicknamed ‘Mr Titanic’ due to his decades-long interest in the famous wreck, was one of five people who died in the disaster

New scam over household bins in France: how to avoid being caught out

The scam relates to your council-issued bin

Mystery of severed legs found in canal in Normandy

A massive police operation followed the fisherman’s discovery of a first limb. Police then found a second, which was wrapped in plastic

Fake rescue workers snatch dogs on walks in southern France

The pets are being forcibly stolen as owners walk them, by people in a van pretending to be from an animal welfare association

Breakthrough in long-running disappearance case of teenager in France

The DNA of a 15-year-old girl, who went missing ten months ago, has been found in a stolen car

11 Hermès bags stolen from relative of Qatar Emir on French TGV

Bags are thought to have been taken off the Nice to Paris train at Toulon

Eight scams doing the rounds this summer in France

Summer travel means one thing: More scammers, especially on the roads and at transport hubs. Here are tips to avoid falling victim

French postman took 13,000 letters home after failing to deliver

‘The accused admitted to storing mail that he had not delivered’, the prosecutor has said

Foreign driver’s family expelled from France over farmer’s death

The husband remains in France awaiting trial, but his wife and three children have been deported

Seven die, including children, in fire at flats in Nice - arson suspected

People wearing balaclavas were spotted near the building at the time of blaze. Victims are reported to be from the same family

Bayonne festival: man, 58, dies after being punched

It follows a row, which broke out on a bus, between two attendees

3 shot dead by neighbour at village birthday party in central France

Man with no prior criminal record opened fire before reportedly turning gun on himself

New French MP is first to be ‘fiché-S’: what does this mean?

The status is often associated with terrorism, and the MP’s critics have said he ‘has no place’ in the Assemblée - but the real picture is more nuanced