New offences against pyrotechnic mortars: up to 3 years' imprisonment in France
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez presented his "Ripost" bill aimed at toughening sanctions against the misuse of pyrotechnic mortars, nitrous oxide and urban street racing.
Toughening of sentences against pyrotechnic mortars and other offences
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez unveiled the outline of the "Ripost" bill (Immediate Responses to Phenomena Disrupting Public Order) on Tuesday evening during the TF1 news bulletin. According to cnews.fr, this text, presented on Wednesday to the Council of Ministers, aims to create a "show of strength" against delinquency and organised crime, with parliamentary tabling expected before summer and adoption hoped for in autumn.
Pyrotechnic mortars used as weapons against law enforcement are subject to reinforced sanctions in the bill. Unlawful possession and transport of these devices will be punishable by three years' imprisonment. Shops selling them outside the legal framework will see their premises administratively closed. This measure forms part of a set of provisions targeting serious offences and urban delinquency phenomena.
Nitrous oxide is at the centre of three series of sanctions. Inhalation of the product will become an offence, punishable by one year's imprisonment and a fine of €3,750, with the possibility of a fixed penalty fine of €200. Transport without legitimate reason will be punished by two years' imprisonment and a fine of €7,500. Driving under its influence will incur three years' imprisonment and a fine of €9,000. Finally, its sale will be strictly regulated and illegal marketing will be sanctioned, whilst offending shops will be subject to administrative closure.
With regard to narcotic drugs, the bill raises the fixed penalty fine to €500 for consumers, a measure announced by Emmanuel Macron in December in Marseille. An additional sentence of suspension of driving licence will also be applicable. Persons issued with fixed penalty notices on several occasions for use may have their licence cancelled by prefectural decision following a hearing before a medical board.
Motorised street racing will be sanctioned by a fixed penalty fine of €800 and an administrative ban on driving any motor-powered land vehicle, including those not requiring a licence. For violence in stadiums, the administrative ban will be extended to cases of incitement to hatred and discrimination, extending from 24 hours before to 24 hours after a match and potentially covering other locations such as fan zones.
The bill also provides for the extension to holiday rentals of provisions for forced eviction of squatters established by the Kasbarian law of 2023. On the operational side, the trial of enhanced video protection (algorithmic cameras, without facial recognition) will be extended until 31 December 2030 and may be applied to buildings and locations likely to be terrorist targets as well as to the means of transport providing access to them.
Against organised crime, the text complements the existing arsenal with several measures: the right of police and gendarmes to carry out searches, including of boot compartments, without a prosecutor's requisition up to 40 kilometres from land borders and the coastline. Special investigative techniques will extend to medicine trafficking. Magistrates will be able to transmit judicial information to intelligence services. Pre-charge custody in matters of financial organised crime will extend from 48 to 72 hours, and police and gendarmes will be able to use automatic number-plate reading with data retention for one year.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)