Violence, feelings and realities, by Serge July

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An attempted kidnapping in the heart of Paris, a firefighter between life and death after a drug dealer drove into him, a fight between two rival gangs in the middle of a Bordeaux courtroom: can the army of crime take power in France? This is the question haunting government ministries. Since there's often a gap between perception and reality when it comes to violence, let's start with some figures.

The number of homicides fell in France between 2002 and 2009, from 1,400 to 800 murders per year, and has apparently stabilized. Vandalism is on the decline. And social science research seems to show that migrants are not the cause of crime. Violence against LGBT people is, however, on the rise , as is sexual violence in general. And the growth of drug trafficking is a reality, with 200,000 people, often young or very young, believed to be directly or indirectly involved. That's a lot.