Armed robberies on the rise

INTERIOR Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie has announced new crime-fighting measures after the number of armed robberies in France soared by more than 15% in a year.

While overall crime has dropped slightly, armed hold-ups have increased and gangland killings have more than doubled, according to new figures from the National Crime Observatory.

"In the coming weeks, I believe that we will have a crime-fighting plan against armed robberies," Alliot-Marie said.

The minister singled out Paris and its suburbs as areas with crime problems, with small shops targeted.

Armed robberies were up 15.4% in 2008 from the previous year.

There were 3,558,329 reported crimes and misdemeanours in France last year, a drop of 0.86% compared to 2007, but violent crime rose 2.4 percent.

The number of gangland killings has more than doubled, from 58 in 2007 to 126 last year, the figures showed.

Last week, President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the slight drop in the crime rate as a sign that the state was fulfilling its obligation to protect its citizens.

Photo:Damien Roué