New Year's Eve, its festive meals, its fireworks… And its charred cars. For at least four decades, burning cars to start the year has become a French tradition.
So much so that the authorities have gotten into the habit of revealing the number of these crimes every first of the year. The 2024-2025 vintage stands at “984 vehicles burned”, a count that the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau “chose” to reveal because he was “committed to speaking the truth to the French”. A communication which may raise questions, as the category of this offense seems specific in comparison to the large families of offenses (burglaries, attacks on people, etc.).
Noting these misdeeds is rather positive, notes Sebastian Roché, research director at the CNRS and author of the book 'The police against the street' (Editions Grasset). “In France, we observe partial transparency in terms of communicating figures relating to offenses. Crimes and misdemeanors have been published since 1972, and in more detailed form since 2007.”
Figures not always mentioned so as not to create “winner lists”
Because although the figures have been revealed nationally for several years, this has not always been the case. “For a whole period, Beauvau no longer communicated on the issue,” notes Mathieu Zagrodzki, associate researcher at CESDIP, specialist in internal security issues. The idea was that by revealing the number of these infractions, it would encourage the perpetrators to outbid each other. But this postulate is difficult to verify, no study has discussed it.”
Beauvau had, for example, avoided communicating on this theme in 2011 and 2012, as recalled in a note from the Jean Jaurès foundation. At the time, the ministry judged that it was “necessary to put an end to a track record that is as stupid as it is dangerous and to an unhealthy tradition consisting of promoting criminal acts every year at the same time.”
This parenthesis having passed, the communication of the results of New Year's Eve has resumed, with peaks (nearly 1,500 cars burned in 2019) and troughs (804 in 2016).
If hiding them had been criticized, publicly discussing these figures can help achieve the minister's political agenda. Last year, Gérald Darmanin, then Minister of the Interior, was quick to communicate about the falling figures… While waiting for the final figures which announced an increase, as recalled The Voice of the North.
The toll of burned cars, a lever for political communication?
This year, an increase of more than 32% was noted compared to last year. Not really an opportunity to capitalize on it, though. “Bruno Retailleau has endorsed this assessment, even negative, because he wants to consolidate the image he wants to give,” notes Mathieu Zagrodzki. That of a politician who would describe social phenomena as they are, without watering them down.”
Drawing up this assessment can therefore prove to be an effective communication lever. “The minister is interested in going and speaking to journalists and making announcements. He insists on the mobilization of thousands of law enforcement officers, and on carrying out arrests,” analyzes Sebastian Roché.
Announcement effects, a deployment of significant personnel… Without worrying about the deeper causes of this recurring phenomenon? For the framework of the Les Républicains party, these New Year's Eve fires would be “the product of a savagery embodied by cowards, thugs who attack the property of often modest French people”.
An explanation undermined by our specialist, who points to a “lack of political will” and a “technical incapacity” among the authorities to transform raw figures into detailed analysis.
“It’s the difference between a dashboard and an evaluation,” image Sebastian Roché. A dashboard tells you the speed at which you are driving, but it tells you nothing about the efficiency of your vehicle. The phenomenon cannot be reduced if it is not understood.”
