[Global Times special correspondent in France An Yue Global Times reporter Tommy Global Times special correspondent Zhao Jinyun]The editor says:On October 22, the Louvre Museum in France reopened to tourists three days after being robbed, but the whereabouts of many pieces of jewelry lost in the museum are still unknown. This case not only raised questions about the security level of French museums, but also attracted attention to the frequent number of robberies and thefts in the country in recent years. In fact, in addition to France, some countries in Europe and the United States are also criticized for their social security problems. The media and people from all walks of life in these countries are reflecting on relevant challenges and hope to improve social security through comprehensive management.

On average, there are robberies every two minutes.

"This is very 'French'!" After the robbery of the Louvre Museum on October 19th, some Parisians told the special correspondent of the Global Times in France, showing helplessness in their tone. "In fact, this is far from the only crime of this kind in France in recent years." The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported through combing that in September this year, a batch of expensive porcelain worth nearly 10 million euros was stolen at the Adrien Dubuchet National Ceramic Museum in Limoges, a small town in south-central France; Last November, several 18th-century snuff bottles were stolen from the Connac Jay Museum in Paris; Also in November last year, at the Ielon Museum in Moniale, Paraille, the central French city, the suspect first shot, then sawed the bulletproof glass with a chainsaw, and stole valuable ivory statues and other collections from the museum.

The Louvre case has also caused a number of French citizens to worry about the rise in theft cases. In recent years, French entrance theft and robbery cases have been from time to time, many domestic and foreign celebrities are victims. According to media reports such as AFP, in April 2024, the head of the district of Saint-Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris, where the French Olympic host is, Arnold Arnold is on the street with his son, and his mobile phone is stolen during the daylight; in November 2023, Louis Vuitton family's sixth-generation celebrity Benoit was stolen in Paris's seventh district; in September 2022, France's celebrity broadcaster Jean-Claude Jun was robbed and imprisoned with his family; in November 2020, a Saudi princess in

Data released by the French government show that in 2024, the country recorded more than 218,600 burglaries, equivalent to an average of one every two minutes or so. In 2022, this figure will be approximately 211,800. France's "European Times" also mentioned that in 2023, burglaries in the presence of residents in the country increased by 8%, and many thieves were minors, and criminal teams often recruit participants temporarily through social media.

Through long-term observation and interviews, the Global Times special correspondent in France found that many French people believe that the country's security situation is not ideal. In Paris, whether living in apartment buildings or single-family houses, many families have installed surveillance or burglar alarm equipment. Even in communities with high official security scores, burglaries and other crimes occur. Through understanding, the reporter found that many people in Paris turn on home monitoring equipment in time to prevent accidents when they are away on vacation or away from home on weekends. Surveys show that about a quarter of French people cancel or shorten their vacation plans for fear of burglary at home.

However, Zhao Yongsheng, director of the French Center for Economic Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, which has been teaching and researching in France for a long time, said that in the past five or six years, the social security situation in Paris has greatly improved. He and some researchers conducted observations in poor security neighborhoods in Paris many times. Previously, if someone used an iPhone to make calls on the street, they were likely to be robbed. Nowadays, many pedestrians look relaxed when using mobile phones on local streets and do not seem to be worried about accidents. At the same time, Zhao Yongsheng and his team also found that in places with good security conditions in Paris, although foreign tourists need to take some measures to prevent theft, they need not be too vigilant.

Zhao Yongsheng believes that the improvement of French public security problems in recent years is related to the measures taken by the government. Paris police have carried out many anti-crime operations. According to the local police, these actions are mainly aimed at theft criminal gangs that have been entrenched in various blocks of Paris for many years, with a large number of gang members and many cases on their backs. Some gangs have developed into underworld nature. However, due to resource constraints, it is difficult for the local police to crack down on all theft gangs in an all-round way.

In addition, the French government has actively assisted the unemployed and improved the public security situation in France. Zhao Yong Li said that he has researched the French government¡¯s employment training services, where unemployed people can only receive assistance after training as required by the government. Such measures helped more local people increase their income and reduced crimes such as theft and robbery.

The prevalence of ¡°tolerance¡± leads to a blind eye for light sin?

In addition to France, Italy, the United States and other western countries have also received frequent attention in recent years because of social security issues.

Rome, Italy's capital city, receives tens of millions of tourists each year, who have become targets of street crime, with robberies and pickpocketing doubling in a year, the Daily Telegraph reported in October. The head of a local association representing 3500 restaurant merchants said at the time that 80 to 100 robberies were reported in restaurants and bars every day. Data released by the Office for National Statistics show that from March 2023 to March 2024, about 78,000 mobile phone or bag robberies were recorded in England and Wales, an increase of 153% year-on-year, equivalent to more than 200 robberies and thefts every day. A 2024 survey by the National Retail Federation found that retailers experienced a 93 percent increase in shoplifting incidents compared to 2019.

Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute for International Relations at the College of Diplomacy, said in an interview with the Global Times that in recent decades, large numbers of immigrants have flown to European and American countries, but these countries have weakened their capacity to assimilate immigrants, and their cultural and social cohesion within Western societies has been weakened. Due to the inability to assimilate large numbers of foreign immigrants, the political situation in some European and American countries under the electoral system and representation system has begun to become chaotic. This has also intensified the forces of indigenousism and extraditionism, leading to a tendency to violence in the political sphere of European and American countries, and this political atmosphere has provided the soil for a concentrated outbreak of social problems within Western societies such as theft, robbery,

Some people think that the government pays insufficient attention to robbery and theft and other cases, which is one of the reasons why such cases are difficult to control. A number of interviewees told the special correspondent of the Global Times in France about their real experiences, saying that after calling the police for help in a burglary case, the police often wouldn't call the police unless the nature of the case was extremely serious. These French people believe that such actions by the police have contributed to the arrogance of lawless elements to a certain extent. According to the French newspaper le figaro, Roz, a senior official of the country's police headquarters, believes that many police officers need to spend a lot of time filling out reports, responding to prosecutors' requests and handling internal affairs, which leads to the weakening of field forces.

Qi Hong Jiang, a professor at Beijing Foreign Language University¡¯s Institute for Higher Research in Regional and Global Governance, told the Global Times that in Europe, many countries follow the so-called humanitarian philosophy, which leads to the relatively common situation of mild punishment and even non-punishment, and even the phenomenon of heavy crime and mild punishment, which has cultural and institutional reasons.

Zhao Yong Li told reporters that in history, the punishment for theft in France has been extremely severe, which is why Hugo wrote in "Tragic World" that the protagonist was sentenced to five years of hard work for stealing bread to his hungry nephew. However, later, with the massive development of capitalist production and the rapid accumulation of social wealth, "tolerance" continues to spread in Europe, especially in Western Europe, and eventually leads to some countries to close an eye to the slight crime, especially the slightness of the thieves.

Changes in the attitude towards nonviolent crime

On October 22, although the Louvre in France reopened to the public, the Apollo Corridor where the robbery occurred remained closed. The value of the stolen collection is as high as 88 million euros. According to Agence France-Presse, French President Macron ordered on the 22nd to strengthen security measures at the Louvre. The country's interior minister said on the same day that the investigation is underway and more than 100 investigators have been mobilized. Euronews Network said that on the evening of October 20 local time, officials from the French Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Interior met to discuss security measures and reviewed the protection measures of other cultural institutions in the country.

All walks of life in France are reflecting on why this case that shocked the world occurred. According to media reports such as the European edition of the US "Political News Network", security issues have long been a problem that plagued French museums, with industry union members repeatedly warning about what they call harsh working conditions and insufficient security personnel. Some security experts point out that the Louvre's much-hyped poor infrastructure, coupled with easy public access to the venue, makes it a fairly vulnerable target. Global security consultant Richard believes the Louvre could have taken additional security measures, such as installing better protection and increasing patrols, but these would require money.

There are people in Paris who told the Global Times in France that many companies donate to the Louvre every year, and the government should better monitor the use of those funds, while upgrading the security system of all museums as soon as possible.

Some politicians such as Tangui, a senior official of the French National League, blamed the case on the country's "weak ideology of crime in the political and media systems." This is similar to the views of some conservatives in other European and American countries, who hope that the government will increase penalties for criminal acts to increase deterrence.

In some parts of the United States, the local government has also changed its attitude towards non-violent crimes such as store theft. According to media reports such as the New York Post, in June this year, police in 28 U.S. states collaborated with merchants to conduct a large-scale joint operation to combat retail crime and arrest hundreds of people. This operation was initiated and led by Cook County, Illinois. County Attorney Burke took office in December last year. On the first day of her office, she announced that if the goods in question were worth more than $300, or if the suspect had a record of a store theft, the prosecutor would file a serious criminal charge for their theft under state law. Before she took office, only if the stolen goods were worth $1,000 or more, or if the suspect had 10 or more pre-

The same thing happened in California, where a provision that came into force in 2014 has been abolished. Under this provision, several non-violent crimes, including theft in the store, are classified as mild crimes, and if the amount of the case is $950 or less, the offender is subject to mild punishment. Local criminal defense lawyer Wal said that now California is strengthening criminal enforcement, and the accused could be charged with serious crimes if the value of the stolen goods is added to more than $950.

However, the majority of the people in Paris who communicated with the Global Times in France did not support increased penalties for minor crimes such as theft. They believe that many suspects are minors and should take comprehensive measures to prevent related crimes rather than through punishment. In addition, now that French prisons are crowded and the judiciary has a lot of cases not handled, which will also limit government law enforcement.