a less frequent but increasingly violent phenomenon

The Ministry of the Interior states that a refusal to comply occurs every 20 minutes in France. Police checks on public roads sometimes turn into tragedy. However, the phenomenon has decreased by 5% between 2016 and 2023. Some of them remain violent, with sometimes serious bodily injuries. In 2016, 3,800 violent incidents were recorded, compared to 4,900 in 2023, again according to the ministry’s figures.

A few months ago, in Paris, an officer from the anti-crime squad intervened with a colleague on a break-in. The burglars then charged at the officers. “When we arrived and tried to surround the vehicle, someone started off and immediately put it into first gear and hit my colleague straight away.”says Fabien Bogais, from the Alliance Police nationale Paris union. He says he was “forced to open fire“to protect his colleague. The shot hit the vehicle without injuring the occupants, who fled.