PM: police custody figures 'shocking'

THE GOVERNMENT has promised to take urgent action to reform the French system of police custody amid claims it is being over-used and contravenes basic human rights.

Prime Minister François Fillon said he was "shocked" yesterday after a report found the number of people being detained by police has risen by two thirds since 1996 to 580,000 last year.

The figure does not include police custody for alleged driving offences, which some researchers estimate would bring the figure above the 800,000 mark.

Campaign groups say the sharp rise is the result of an "unacceptable" target-based culture in the police force which has been encouraged by the government.

Fillon told Europe 1 that the number of detentions and "the way they are used" needed to be re-examined and "there are numerous cases where custody is just not necessary".

A law clarifying how the system should be used is due to be presented in parliament before the summer.

Last November, Paris's top lawyer Christian Charrière-Boumazel said French police custody conditions appeared to be illegal.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in November 2008 that a suspect has a right to have a lawyer present from the moment they enter custody to organise their defence and prepare for questioning.

The French system allows a half-hour visit from a lawyer after an hour of custody to check that the suspect is well, but no right to discuss the case in detail or be present during questioning.

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Photo: Jonas Roux