Crime and security

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

news

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

Firework and alcohol sales banned in multiple French departments for Halloween

Dozens of cars were burned on October 31 last year. The interior ministry has also released tips on how to stay safe tonight

Passenger killed as concrete block dropped onto French motorway

The national gendarmerie is appealing for witnesses and has launched a murder investigation

Free Mobile data theft: clients in France warned to look out for scams

The mobile phone provider was hit by a major cyber attack in October

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

Alert raised after baby boy kidnapped from Paris suburb hospital

Parents of the 17-day old who was born prematurely are the main suspects

40 years on: ‘Grégory’ case remains one of France’s most notorious unsolved murders

The death of the boy, 4, drew national attention to the small village in the Vosges

French police bust wine fraud ring selling low quality wine for €15,000 a bottle

The counterfeiting included the creation of fake French vintage bottle labels

British Alps murders: new reconstruction to take place

The case of the Chevaline killings remains unsolved more than 12 years later

SNCF guilty of involuntary homicide for 2015 accident that killed 11

Two workers have also been handed suspended prison sentences

‘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’

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