CRIME IN FRANCE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 955, 27 December 1933, Page 1

CRIME IN FRANCE.

Swindling Has Become Major Offence. PARIS, December 1. Swindling has become the major crime in France, and eight times as many men as women are tried for criminal offences, the official report, on file in the Department of Justice, shows. Murders and infanticides totalling 3541 in 1921, dropped off to 1512 by the end of the ten-year period. To offset these statistics of moral uplift, French swindlers increased from 11,315 to 13,152, while crimes committed under the influence of alcohol also grew to a point where, in 1931, they constituted 24 per cent of all infractions against the law. Less Drunkards. On the other hand, the number of drunkards has diminished, leading one to believe that, although fewer people are drinking, those who now are, seem to be taking theid bar room work more seriously, with graver results on their nervous systems. Police provide more tempting targets than ever, either for simple assault or resisting arrest, judging from the growth of those arrested for these crimes, a growth which carried the figures from 9312 to 10,149. Finally, vagrancy, apparently as a result of the increasing difficulties in France’s economic situation, hit a new high in 1931 with a mark of 13,152.