International Journal on Criminology Volume 3, Number 2, Fall 2015 | Page 93

International Journal on Criminology - Fall 2015, Volume 3, Number 2
Burglaries in France: An Exploratory Analysis of the
Characteristics of Victims and their Environments
Vincent Delbecque A and Inès Bettaïeb B
A total of 4.8% of households in mainland France were victims of a
burglary at their principal residence between 2005/2006 and 2012/2013.
Among all of these households and according to their sociodemographic
characteristics, it is estimated that those least affected by these types of offenses
were households made up principally of single people in a disadvantaged
socioeconomic position (economically inactive or unemployed). About 4.5%
of this group were victims of such offenses, compared with 5.3% of households
made up of socioeconomically comfortable couples.
The proportion of victims is also linked to the household’s type of
accommodation. Only 4.2% of households identified as tenants of a small
apartment reported having been victims. Conversely, 5.3% of homeowners
(or mortgagors) of large detached houses have been victims of these types of
offenses.
Finally, the proportion of victims varies depending on the type of
neighborhood of residence. The highest proportions of victims were observed
among residents of densely inhabited or residential zones in the suburbs, with
5.4% of such households having been victims of these offenses in contrast
to 4.5% among households living in densely populated and multifamily
environments in downtown areas, and 4.7% in rural or periurban, lowdensity
areas composed of individual housing units.
Keywords: cycle, crime rates, security, homicides, organized crime, police,
private security, corruption, social controls, cyclical theory.
Introduction
Burglaries1 are a form of attack that stimulates both public debate and criminology
research. They provoke public debate because after a steady decline in France
and in most developed countries since the 1990s, the number of burglaries
increased significantly between 2008 and 2013. This increase led governments to
implement special preventative and informational measures aimed at citizens. This was
A
Deputy head of statistics, French National Supervisory Body on Crime and Punishment (Observatoire
national de la délinquance et des réponses pénales (ONDRP))
B
Researcher, ONDRP
1
Burglaries is defined as forcible entry, unlawful entry where no force is used, and attempted forcible
entry.
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