Arrests up in NYE arson crackdown
Number of torched cars on December 31 falls only slightly on last year, while arrests more than double
POLICE chiefs have reported a slight drop in New Year's Eve arson attacks on cars and more than double the number of arrests compared with last year.
About 45,000 officers were on duty across France on December 31, and the Interior Ministry said in its report the following morning that the celebrations "went well" and passed without any major incident.
According to the ministry, 549 people were arrested - up from 288 last year - and 481 spent the night in police custody, up from 219.
Most of these arrests were people suspected of trying to set fire to cars. The number of torched vehicles was put at 1,137 - down slightly on last year's 1,147.
Some of these incidents were reported in rural areas, which until now had largely escaped. Eighteen departments had banned the sale of petrol in cans in the hope of stopping arson attacks.
The Socialist Party said it was not convinced by the Interior Ministry's report and considered the early figures to be "minimalist".
The streets of Paris were quieter than last year, with an estimated 200,000 on the Champs-Elysées compared with 550,000 a year ago.
A special sound and light display at the Eiffel Tower to celebrate its 120th anniversary attracted 75,000 revellers. The Mairie de Paris apologised the next morning because the show was supposed to have been available online as a live video stream but it was hit by technical problems.
Some 65 people were struck by carbon monoxide poisoning at a party in the north-east Paris suburb of Pantin. Six of them were said to be in a serious condition.
Five people were killed and 13 injured in a fire at a family gathering at a house in Nîmes in the early hours of January 1, believed to be caused by an electrical fault.
Photo:Timm Williams
