Custody numbers and demographics

Sacha Straub-Kahn, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, stated that there are 2,500 people in custody since Saturday, managed by the police and the judiciary. He explained that approximately 123 individuals are already sleeping in prison for acts committed on Saturday or Sunday. This figure includes provisional detentions and the first convictions for prison sentences, pronounced on Monday.

Profile of detainees

Among those already presented to the judiciary, there are "between 95 and 98% men" and "70% adults." These are "generally young men known to the police," sometimes already convicted. The spokesperson distinguishes these looters from the student movement of the last few weeks, which was mainly composed of minors, while admitting that some students may have "been carried away."

Two distinct groups of offenders

Sacha Straub-Kahn outlined "two waves" of offenders. First, "professional vandals," the black blocs, "very well organized," with "a political objective behind." They take advantage of the chaos, then "retreat" and are less often arrested. Then come the authors of "opportunistic offenses" who loot stores. These are not ultra-left groups who went to steal "from Fnac or Darty," he specified, echoing the Paris prosecutor.

Identification and legal strategies

Masks do not guarantee impunity: "There are always ways to identify them." Investigators can, for example, compare video captures published on social networks with the TAJ file, which contains "about 17 million people." Organized gang: up to 10 years in prison. He indicated that most cases must be judged between this Tuesday and Wednesday with reinforced means to deal with the scale of the situation.

Judicial procedures and penalties

"Normally you have two immediate hearing sessions (in Paris) every day, today you will have six, so we are tripling the number of hearings." He also explained that the number of complaints from merchants is not yet known. Sacha Straub-Kahn also revealed that the Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, has asked the prosecutors to review the method and to use the qualification of an organized gang. This allows for extending the custody beyond 24 or 48 hours and using "special investigative techniques," such as geolocation and the exploitation of mobile phones.

Severe penalties and legal implications

The penalties are severe. A theft by an organized gang is "punishable by 10 years in prison," which is "as severe as drug trafficking." "It's not like stealing a chocolate bar from a supermarket," he emphasized. Sacha Straub-Kahn also announced that a government instruction plans to "include illegal incomes" in the calculation of social benefits. His example: "You sold 100 pairs of shoes on Vinted because you looted a store," so "we will retroactively consider these as income" and "deduct them from your social rights."

Limitations and future legislation

For merchants, the prosecutors of Lille have set up a simpler process: their contact information is collected "almost automatically" to avoid "an administrative nightmare." Prosecutors must now approach the prefects to generalize this procedure. However, the spokesperson reminded several limitations. First, the independence of judges: the minister can issue general circulars, but cannot give instructions in a case. "You or I compare before the justice tomorrow, we are well content that it is not the minister of justice who gives instructions to the judges." Therefore, the 10 years of penalty will not be automatic. Next, the Casseur-Payeur law, under consideration in the Senate, will not be effective before early 2027 and "will not apply retroactively to the facts that concern us today."