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Security: has delinquency in the countryside really increased?
What do the figures say about rural insecurity? Is delinquency increasing in the countryside, as some politicians claim? Response elements.
(France 2)
What do the figures say about rural insecurity? Is delinquency increasing in the countryside, as some politicians claim? Response elements.
Rural delinquency often makes the headlines, and is a recurring theme among politicians. Crime would explode in rural areas. How true are the figures? France Télévisions analyzed the data from the SSMSI, the Ministerial Statistical Service for Internal Security. Aurélien Poissonnier, head of the SSMSI territorial analysis office, has collected and analyzed millions of data concerning rural delinquency. Over seven years, based on complaints filed, he is able to obtain a precise picture.
The assault and battery indicator is on the rise: 18,880 victims in 2016, compared to 26,600 in 2023. “There is no explosion of delinquency in rural areas, there are certain phenomena which are on the rise” , he judges. By studying other indicators, the trend is not the same. Drug trafficking, violent thefts, vehicle thefts and destruction in rural areas have generally declined over the last seven years. According to many experts, the magnifying effect of certain tragic news stories could fuel the feeling that delinquency in the countryside is increasing. Furthermore, according to sociologist Christian Mouhanna, the threshold for accepting violence has fallen in society.
