An offense punishable by one year in prison and a fine of 15,000 euros. Judicial sanctions against urban rodeos increased by 12.7% between 2020 and 2021, according to figures from the ministries of Justice and the Interior, franceinfo has learned.
According to Eric Dupond-Moretti, the Minister of Justice, 1,400 sanctions have been taken over the past two years. In 2020, there were 23,881 interventions compared to 26,912 interventions in 2021.
Violations fined during motorized rodeos are up 11.9% (2,864 verbalisations in 2020, 3,206 in 2021), according to the ministries of Justice and the Interior. Finally, the number of convictions shows an increase of 39.6% (991 convictions in 2020, 1,383 in 2021).
The Keeper of the Seals is in Besançon (Doubs) to take stock of this law which created a specific offense punishable by one year in prison and aggravated when it is committed in a meeting or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This law resulted in a multiplication of police interventions against rodeos. In 2021, police interventions regarding these offenses increased by 30%. They are also on the rise in the gendarmerie zone.
On the ground, scooter seizures are also increasing, even if many of the machines used are stolen or loaned. “We have considerably developed the confiscation of vehicles. There is nothing that speaks more to a 16-year-old who, in all unconsciousness, drives in the cities, in the cities, endangering our fellow citizens. It is rapid justice is common sense justice and it is justice that protects our compatriots”, explained the Keeper of the Seals.
Red-handed interventions at a rodeo are always tricky. “In some popular neighborhoods, the police are accused of having chased vehicles. The perpetrators can fall, hurt themselves, kill themselves, and each time we accuse the police”, said Jean-Christophe Couvy, national secretary of the SGP police unit.