France sees spike in summer burglaries: tips on staying safe

Residents in France are being urged to remain vigilant after home burglaries went up nearly 8% across the country in July, new figures show. 

The spike in numbers underscores the need for homeowners to take precautions to secure their properties as burglars grow increasingly sophisticated in their methods of break-in. 

Below we provide some guidance on the best ways to secure your home and the latest scams and techniques used by burglars to be aware of. 

France recorded 27,648 burglaries in July (both of homes and commercial sites), according to the figures from the Interior Ministry and seen by media outlet BFMTV.

This is 1,519 or 5.8% higher than figures from July 2025. If focusing only on private properties and excluding commercial premises, burglaries in July went up 7.7% compared to the previous year.

The Interior Ministry noted that the figures did not “capture the full extent of offences committed” since not all victims of burglary came forward to report the crime.

It is also worth noting the higher incidence of break-ins in certain parts of the country, with half of all burglaries taking place in just three regions: Île-de-France; Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

A particular focus of burglaries this year was precious metals and jewellery. 

How to put off burglars

July and August – along with December – are typically the months where the most burglaries are recorded in France, with many homes vacant for extended periods as families head off on holiday. 

It is therefore recommended that homeowners keep quiet about holiday plans to minimise the number of people who know that their home will be empty. 

Alternatively, second homes that are used for the holiday period and then left dormant also make a prime target, as once families leave the area those nearby know the properties are more likely to be empty for a long period. 

Police regularly encourage both main and second home owners to use the ‘Opération Tranquillité Vacances’ service.

The service sees police or gendarmes check on the property while owners are away, either daily or in some cases several times per day, and it is free to request.

You can register for the service either online or in-person at your local station, but must do so between 45 and three days before your planned departure (or one day if applying to a gendarmerie station). Proof of address and ID may also be required depending on the station and type of request. 

Note that in some areas only main homes can be checked, as it is only gendarmerie units that offer the service for second homes. 

If you want the service for a second home but are closer to a police station than gendarmerie station, you will be unable to sign up. 

You can read how to sign up in our article here.

Another factor that could make you more susceptible to burglaries is a change in habits due to the intense hot weather. 

People may spend more time outside in the cooler evenings, particularly if their houses are warm, leaving them at risk of burglary. 

If homes are not at all equipped to deal with the heat, many people may leave them for much of the day, only returning at night, leaving burglars with more time to target the property.

If you leave your windows open overnight to cool your home down, you may also risk burglars entering your home – and potentially lose coverage from your insurer.

Our article here provides tips on how to protect your property from burglary attempts.

Protecting your home

Although there is a risk of thieves entering through open windows, around 70% of burglars still enter properties through front doors, so ensuring you have a strong lock or alarm system is vital. You should also set up security cameras if possible, providing they do not overlook public areas.

Doors should be reinforced with multiple locks (including sliding bolts) or with advanced mechanisms such as steel snap-resistant cylinder locks.

Alarms should always be turned on when a house is empty, even if leaving for a thirty-minute trip to the shops.

Other advice from police includes installing higher fences around your property, as well as shutters and sliding doors that limit access through windows and back doors, etc.

Common tricks used by burglars 

Burglars may use simple tricks such as leaving a letter on the doormat or a toothpick in the lock – if it remains there for several days, they know the home is empty and therefore an easier target.

You can ask neighbours to regularly check the home for you when away – including collecting mail – as well as use tech such as automatic light switches or apps to turn devices on for a little bit of time each night, to give the appearance that the home is not empty.

Burglars not only enter properties through stealth, but may scam their way in by posing as officials from companies, postal workers or firefighters, or even police officers. 

They may either use their visit as a reconnaissance – checking to see the strength of the door, how easy it is to break into a home, and even potentially look for where you store valuables – or just enter through brute force once you open the door.

Further advice on protecting your home is available here.

If your property has been burgled, advice on the necessary steps to take including informing the authorities is available in our article here.

Note that complaints can be made to police both online and in-person following a burglary.

Half of burglaries in three regions

It is also worth noting that the July 2025 figures for residential burglaries were a ‘significant drop’ on July 2024, with figures for two years ago higher than those recorded so far this summer. 

“The number of residential burglaries has followed a stable trend since the fourth quarter of 2024,” the Interior Ministry said.

There are outliers however – the Dordogne department recorded a 26% increase in burglaries between 2024 and 2025, according to media outlet TF1.

It is also worth noting vast regional differences in burglary rates, with more than half of burglaries being recorded in just three regions.

In 2024, more than one quarter of burglaries (26.3%) were recorded in the Île-de-France region alone, followed by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (15.8%) and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (10.5%).

These host some of France’s largest cities - Paris proper and its mesh of suburbs, Lyon, Marseille, and Nice. 

Towns and cities are far more likely to see burglaries than rural areas in France.

Our article here lists the departments where the most burglaries per 1,000 homes take place (not the overall number of burglaries).