Raccourcis

    Criminalité et sécurité sur la Côte d'Azur

    With a fascinating history, unique culture, delicious food, stunning architecture, and beautiful countryside, there’s no surprise that the French Riviera is one of the most visited luxury travel destinations in the world. You’ll notice that all of the villas have gates, high fences, and bars or shutters on their windows. These aren’t for aesthetics, they’re for safety.

    Criminalité et sécurité sur la Côte d'Azur - crime french riviera3 1

    Selon le ministère français de l'Intérieur, le nombre de délits commis dans les Alpes-Maritimes a augmenté de 28 % entre 2021 et 2022.

    Avertissement: Il est important de rappeler qu'en France, quiconque est témoin d'un accident et ne tente pas de porter secours à la victime – au moins en appelant les secours – commet une infraction pénale, passible d'une amende pouvant aller jusqu'à 75 000 € et d'une peine d'emprisonnement pouvant aller jusqu'à 5 ans. Pour obtenir de l'aide dans toute situation d'urgence, composez le 112.

    Types of Crimes Targeting Tourists (& Locals)

    The French Riviera is full of tourists — and wealthy ones. So it’s no wonder it’s also full of criminals. Here’s what to watch out for:

    Break-Ins

    Crime & Safety Issues on the French Riviera - crime on french riviera
    Breakins by region

    The main type of crime in France is break-ins which amounts to almost half of the reported incidents, despite only 56% of break-ins being reported (qui vous dit ce que les gens pensent de la police et de leur manque d’effort).

    There’s a break-in toutes les deux minutes en France, et la Côte d'Azur compte le plus grand nombre d'effractions de toutes les régions, avec environ 8 000 effractions chaque année. According to a study carried out by INSEE, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region has the second-most burglaries in France, next to Paris. 23,400 burglaries or attempted burglaries of homes in 2022 were reported.

    Criminals commonly break in at night and use gas to sedate their victims in the victim’s villa, hotel suite or apartment (they often enter via a terrace or balcony). They then take their time and steal everything of value — including the watches and wedding rings that the victims were wearing as they slept (more on this in this detailed warning about burglaries and gassings).

    There’s a lack of police action and sentences (even for very violent break-ins) are shockingly minimal, gardant les criminels dans la rue et incitant de nouveaux gangs criminels à s'installer en France.

    Who’s behind the burglaries: Burglaries in France are often blamed on crime gangs from abroad, but in actuality French men are mostly to blame. Police arrested 20,800 people on suspicion of being behind many of the 250,000 break-ins in France in 2019. The vast majority where men, 25% of those were under 18 and the rest under 30. While 74% of those arrested on suspicion of the crimes, 74% were French nationals, 11% from Africa and 11% from another European country. That said, in the French Riviera in particular, human-trafficking gangs from developing countries often make headlines for break-in rings.

    The targets: Jewelry is the most stolen item during burglaries in France, Crime Observatory reported. Next in line are electronics (31%) and then money (29%).

    Tips to reduce risk: Tourists should make sure to deadbolt the doors and lock the windows at night. Do not travel with expensive possessions, rent a fancy car, or keep a lot of cash. Don’t show off on social media, or tag your location. Don’t tell strangers where you’re staying or that you’re on holiday.

    Crime & Safety Issues on the French Riviera - crime french riviera cannes

    Pick-Pockets

    Le vol à la tire est un autre délit courant, plus concentré dans les grandes villes et dans les transports publics. Les gangs français et ceux des pays moins riches (notamment de Russie et de Roumanie) trafiquent des jeunes femmes et les obligent à travailler en groupe pour voler les gens par le biais de vols à la tire. Ils encerclent les victimes et les distraient pendant que l'une des jeunes femmes leur vole leurs objets de valeur dans leur sac à main, leur sac ou leurs poches.

    Sometimes a scooter will swerve close to a victim and grab their bag or iPhone. Or they will pull up alongside a car and grab valuables through an open window. Some violent criminals will open car doors at stoplights to rob people. Keep your car doors locked and don’t carry anything too valuable.

    There are also many gassings on trains. A thief will come up behind your seat, reach over and chloroform you, then take your belongings while you’re unconscious. This especially happens at night and near Marseille. In more crowded trains, they grab your belongings while the train is at a station, then exit the train and run away before you can catch them.

    Vol de montre

    Les vols de montres sur la Côte d'Azur, notamment à Cannes, sont de plus en plus effrontés et sophistiqués. Les zones les plus fréquentées sont notamment la Croisette à Cannes, où les touristes exposent souvent des montres de luxe, ce qui en fait des cibles de choix. Lors d'événements majeurs comme le Festival de Cannes, les voleurs exploitent les foules, utilisant parfois des distractions ou travaillant en groupe pour retirer discrètement les montres des poignets des individus. Des millions de dollars de montres sont volées aux poignets des touristes chaque année. Les restaurants et les bars le long du front de mer sont également témoins d'incidents fréquents, où un moment d'inattention peut conduire au vol. Nous vous recommandons vivement de laisser votre montre de valeur à la maison ou de vous assurer qu'elle est bien assurée.

    Thefts on Yachts

    Crime & Safety Issues on the French Riviera - cannes yachting festival3
    Yacht Burglaries

    Un crime moins médiatisé mais fréquent est celui qui cible les yachts. Il y a eu un certain nombre de cas, notamment dans Antibes, where crew have been mugged when returning to their yacht after a night out. Yachts moored in marinas throughout the French Riviera, where security tends to be lax, are sometimes boarded by thieves and have valuable items stolen.

    Big events such as the Cannes Film Festival are targets. Cannes has become increasingly dangerous during the festival, with gangs of petty criminals looking for rich pickings. Hotel break-ins, purse snatchings and muggings have become commonplace.

    Many criminals and prostitutes come to the area to profit from big events. Prostitutes often double as thieves, with groups boarding yachts and while the men are distracted, one excuses herself to go to the bathroom and instead goes from room to room stealing watches, passports, cash, and other valuables.

    Physical Assault

    Les crimes violents tels que les agressions sexuelles et les crimes commis avec des armes à feu sont considérés comme relativement faibles par rapport à d'autres régions du monde si l'on considère les chiffres de la population, mais ils sont en hausse et, selon plusieurs rapports, ils sont plus dangereux à mesure que l'on se dirige vers le sud. En particulier, les villes de la Côte d'Azur, Marseille, Nice et la Corse, ont de loin les taux de criminalité les plus élevés (plus d'informations sur ces villes ci-dessous), où les crimes commis avec des armes à feu et les meurtres de gangs ne sont pas rares.

    While these incidents usually don’t directly affect travelers to the area, it is something to bear in mind as the organized crime gangs which operate have a distinct hierarchy, and most start at the bottom rung of opportunistic, petty crime and work their way up.

    If someone threatens you for your watch or wallet, do NOT resist — give it to them. There are many, many examples of men who have resisted and have ended up in the hospital for weeks, fighting for their lives after taking a bad beating. This is another reason why it’s best to leave your luxury items at home.

    The French Riviera area saw an average of 48 murders per year over the last three years.

    Issues with Crime Reporting

    Tourists often don’t report incidents. Due to the region relying heavily upon tourism, it is well known that a high number of incidents go unreported and certainly do not get published into the public domain. It’s quite often the case where foreigners, usually tourists, are the victims of crime in the south of France. Viewed as being easy prey, foreigners are typically less familiar with their surroundings, are more relaxed in ‘holiday mode’ and rarely want to undergo the added hassle of reporting the crime to the French police. Hotels also often discourage tourists from reporting a crime, as they don’t want the crime to be on the record since they may be legally liable. Also, if the tourist doesn’t report the incident, the hotel can get the victim’s online reviews taken down more easily.

    Those working in the tourism and real estate industries suppress information online. Sur les forums en ligne comme TripAdvisor, les locaux (qui travaillent dans des secteurs qui gagnent de l'argent sur le dos des étrangers) se font souvent passer pour des commentateurs impartiaux tout en trollant les conversations sur la criminalité et en niant que la région ait un problème de criminalité. De nombreux groupes Facebook sont gérés par des personnes travaillant dans l'industrie du tourisme qui ont un intérêt financier à taire la vérité sur les risques, et lorsque des commentaires sur la criminalité sont publiés dans leurs groupes Facebook, ils sont souvent rapidement supprimés.

    French police have a reputation for not taking crime seriously. In France, there are several issues that make the police ineffective. For one, it’s very difficult to get fired, even if you’re not doing your job. This is doubly true for government workers like police. Secondly, the police feel that there is little they can do to catch criminals (the laws in France restrict police to a point where justice suffers), so they discourage victims from officially reporting crimes. They don’t want their crime statistics to look even worse, since they know they won’t catch the thieves. The reputation is that police in France are slow to respond, refuse to speak English, and most of the time they tell you there’s nothing that can be done. This, of course, only serves to embolden and encourage criminals.

    Crime & Safety Issues on the French Riviera - burglaries crime theft villas hotels

    All this makes it difficult to ascertain a true reflection of the threat posed within certain regions, however, with that said, due to our local intelligence sources within certain regions we are able to highlight some of the main concerns and risks posed when travelling to and from certain areas around the southern coast.

    If you've been a victim of a crime, you can report it to the police online.

    Tips to Avoid Crime

    The fact that the French Riviera attracts the wealthiest tourists from around the world is not lost on local con artists, who have come up with a number of scams to outwit travelers of their hard-earned cash. Knowing what to watch out for, and taking a few simple precautions that might not be necessary back home, can make the difference between a great trip and a fiasco:

    • Do not bring valuable items like top-tier designer handbags, expensive jewelry, watches worth over $5,000, or wads of cash to the French Riviera.
    • Soyez prudents lorsque vous vous déplacez. Les types de délits les plus courants sont les pickpockets qui opèrent dans les transports publics aux heures de pointe. Cette pratique est également utilisée contre les piétons qui se promènent avec des sacs à main, des sacs ou des appareils photo en bandoulière. En ce qui concerne la sécurité personnelle dans les transports publics, vous devez savoir que les trains très en retard – vers minuit – du côté ouest (Nice – Cannes – Saint-Raphaël – Marseille) n’ont pas bonne réputation. De nombreuses gares ne sont pas dotées de personnel et les trains circulent en grande partie à vide, les voyageurs seuls préféreront donc éviter les trajets en retard sur ces lignes si possible. Méfiez-vous de tout membre du public qui semble se faufiler dans les files d’attente pour provoquer une distraction, car il s’agit d’une technique populaire utilisée par les gangs de pickpockets ; lorsqu’un membre provoque la distraction, l’autre cible vos effets personnels. La même technique est également utilisée par les voleurs et les pickpockets dans les lieux touristiques populaires et aux distributeurs automatiques de billets.
    • Take sensible precautions to help protect yourself against street crime. Keep important documents and valuables inside your bags by using inside compartments and carry your bag across your body rather than over your shoulder which will make it more difficult to steal. If the strap is short, carry your bag across your chest rather than on your shoulder. Don’t flash around any valuables or cash. 
    • Il est fortement recommandé de conserver des copies de la page d'identification de votre passeport, ainsi que de votre acte de naissance, de votre permis de conduire, de vos billets de train ou d'avion et de vos cartes de crédit. Conservez les originaux et les copies dans un endroit sûr, mais dans des endroits séparés, de préférence sécurisés en ligne. Si possible, pensez à numériser ces documents et à enregistrer les fichiers dans votre compte de messagerie ou sur une plateforme cryptée comme Sync.com. Cela garantira que vos informations importantes sont toujours sauvegardées et accessibles.
    • Keep a list of emergency telephone numbers to contact banks if credit cards are stolen or lost. It is a lot harder to try to  find this information after the event.
    • There is a high frequency of vehicle break-ins. Leave nothing in view in the vehicle and above all do not leave valuable objects, passports, money or credit cards in a vehicle. Never leave personal belongings unattended and use secure parking facilities, especially overnight. Be vigilant when renting automobiles, as rented vehicles are a target of choice. When driving be suspicious if individuals signal for you to stop, it is common for thieves to obstruct a road or distract the driver by flashing headlights with the sole purpose to get you to stop your vehicle. It is then, once you have stopped that they will seize the opportunity to steal your bags or other valuable objects. Be especially vigilant when stopped at traffic lights, as bags are often snatched from the front passenger seat by thieves travelling on scooters. Keep windows closed and doors locked at all times.
    • Be aware that there have recently been cases of “homejacking” – where thieves break into villas and, finding the car keys left on display, steal the rental car as well. Because the car was not “taken by force” (ie. you aren’t in possession of the car keys), renters have found themselves not covered by rental insurance and liable for the whole replacement value of the car.
    • In a sidewalk café, put one purse strap under the leg of your chair, and don’t set your wallet or phone on the table or it could get whisked away in a blink of an eye.
    • Beach grabs are on the rise: if you go for a dip, don’t leave your stuff unattended, and if you are sunbathing, better to use your purse for a pillow rather than have it just lying there, waiting to be plucked. Better yet, don’t take anything to the beach that would result in heartbreak if stolen.
    • If you rent a villa, be alert and ensure the windows and doors are kept locked and deadbolted, especially at night.
    • There are news reports of robbers posing as fake Police, using a blue flashing light on their car, pulling over drivers to then demand wallets, mobile phones, and other valuables. These thefts are occurring on motorways at night. Something to be careful of if you’re driving.
    • Les voleurs de rue peuvent recourir à la violence contre leurs victimes, certaines étant même tuées. Méfiez-vous des gangs aux coins des rues (surtout à Marseille et Nice) qui sont à l'affût de victimes potentielles. Si vous êtes victime d'un vol, donnez aux voleurs ce qu'ils demandent. Rien ne vaut la peine de perdre la vie.
    • Emergency numbers are, for fire/rescue (18), police (17), and medical emergencies (15). If you have any concerns it may be a good idea to program them into your mobile phone before arrival. There is also a European Union-wide emergency number, 112, that will connect you with an operator who speaks both English and the language of the country you are in.

    Tous ces conseils n'ont pas pour but de vous faire fuir le Sud de la France, mais en les prenant en compte, vous devriez profiter de vacances moins stressantes, et moins stressantes en cas de problèmes imprévus.

    The key to having an incident free stay on the French Riviera is to stay relaxed but remain vigilant. Pay attention to crime reports in the area and where possible, seek local advice from a trusted source. Always be aware of the location of your valuables whether it’s your passport, wallet, designer handbag or expensive watch. Remain in well-populated areas and don’t stray of the beaten track, especially at night. Most importantly, always put yourself in the mind of the criminal and ask yourself whether you’re presenting an easy target. If you are, then do something about it.

    The crimes highlighted above are certainly not exclusive to the French Riviera. Most of these crimes happen in many of the world’s major cites on a daily basis. Remaining vigilant and applying a litle common sense is usually all that’s needed to ensure that your stay is memorable for the right reasons.

    Crime & Safety Issues on the French Riviera - marseille crime rates police 1
    Marseille has the highest crime rate in mainland France

    Further Analysis: By City

    Here is a detailed crime analysis of the most dangerous locations, broken down by city:

    • Marseille: Crime rates are over 5 times higher than any other city in France, especially the murder rate.
    • la Corse: The highest murder rate in Western Europe.
    • Nice: Rife with pickpocketers and petty thieves.
    • Cannes:Là où le vol de montres et de bijoux est hors de contrôle.
    • This website will let you drill down on the type and amount of reported crimes by area.

    The Safest Area: Monaco

    La ville la plus sûre de la Côte d'Azur (et peut-être du monde) est MonacoAvec une vidéosurveillance nationale, trois commissariats de police et plus d'un policier pour 100 habitants, Monaco a des normes de sécurité si strictes qu'elle est connue comme le kilomètre carré le plus sûr du monde.

    The 519 police officers, who must go through a two-year intensive training program. They don’t mess around: the rules are extremely strict and while Monaco’s sea-view prison is notoriously comfortable, the court system in Monaco almost always pronounces maximum sentences. So behave yourself!

    Crime & Safety Issues on the French Riviera - monaco travel guide police safety
    the main police station, in port Hercule (the Condamine), Monaco

    Monaco dispose d'un système de vidéosurveillance 24h/24 sur toute la surface de la Principauté, y compris dans la plupart des halls d'immeubles résidentiels, d'un système de transmission digne des meilleures armées du monde, de la possibilité de bloquer en quelques minutes tous les accès à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur de la Principauté. Sans oublier les équipes de surveillance à l'intérieur du Casino et dans tous les établissements de jeux et hôtels.

    Cela fonctionne bien pour les résidents et les touristes, car vous n'aurez pas à vous soucier du vol de votre bracelet en diamant ou de votre sac de créateur, ni de la disparition de votre enfant. Si votre enfant s'éloigne, la police pourra le suivre grâce au suivi vidéo par reconnaissance faciale et retrouver votre enfant en quelques minutes.

    Le contenu est légalement protégé.

    Vous avez un conseil ? Envoyer un e-mail à hello@iconicriviera.com

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