Paris police boost efforts to ward off pickpockets
Paris police said on Wednesday that they would deploy more officers at the city’s main tourist attractions in an effort to cut back on pickpockets and other petty crimes against visitors. The action comes as a French court sentenced a ringleader of a gang that forced young girls to pickpocket in the French capital’s metro system.
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The police prefecture said it would increase its numbers at the Louvre, the Notre Dame Cathedral, on the Champs Elysée boulevard and around Montmartre’s Sacré Coeur.
It also plans to hand out leaflets in both French and English to warn tourists against known scams, such as young people asking visitors to make donations to fake charities as a distraction from pickpockets.
Several recent incidents have led to the increased security measures, including the Louvre’s decision to briefly close its doors in April after workers said pickpocketing had become intolerable.
In March, 23 Chinese tourists were robbed in a restaurant just hours after arriving in Paris. The thieves left with passports, plane tickets and cash.
The Chinese embassy has said an overall increase in complaints concerning muggings and other thefts have been reported recently.
Meanwhile, Bosnian native Fehim Hamidovic, 60, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday for orchestrating a mass pickpocketing scheme that saw young girls forced into stealing in the Paris metro in 2009.
The gang of girls targeted mainly Asian tourists, thought to carry large amounts of cash, and were ordered to bring back at least 300 euros each day. Those who didn’t faced abuse and torture, including being burned with cigarettes.
Around 20 members of the gang, which was busted in 2010, were also on trial and sentenced to up to five years in prison on Wednesday.
Police estimate that the group stole nearly 1.3 million euros in 2009.
Paris police hope their bolstered efforts will restore the city’s image overseas, especially after it was dealt a blow on Monday when a trophy parade to mark Paris Saint Germain's first French League win in 19 years turned ugly.
The peaceful parade of 15,000 enthusiastic fans near the Eiffel Tower morphed into a mass street riot, which saw people throwing smoke bombs, damaging businesses and attacking several tourists.
On Wednesday, 12 people went before a judge over the violent incident.
Following the drama, France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told French radio RTL that the night’s events had given a terrible image of France.
“Basically I am furious and disgusted, like many people. We must be very firm, very hard with these hooligans," he said.
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