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SECURITY

Paris police given powers to search Metro passengers’ bags after St Petersburg bombing

Police in the French capital have been given new powers to search passengers' bags on the city's Metro and transport system if they have reason to be suspicious. The move has been taken after the bombing in St Petersburg this week.

Published: 5 April 2017 17:16 CEST
Paris police given powers to search Metro passengers' bags after St Petersburg bombing
Photo: AFP

Paris police boosted security on the city's transport system in the light of Monday's terror attack on the St Petersburg Metro system that left 14 dead and over 40 injured.

Some 140 extra gendarmes military police were deployed on the network, to reassure the capital's commuters.

Another move taken by police chief Michel Cadot was to allow officers to search passengers' bags if they have reason to be suspicious, whether its on Metro or RER lines, or in stations.

Cadot said the measure was taken at the request of the French government which had asked authorities in Paris to step up security measures.

Normally police must have a precise motivation or reason before they can search someone's bags, usually related to a crime that had been committed.

But from now on the police can control and search whoever they want, without having to justify it.

Police say the measure is taken regularly and must be renewed every 24 hours for as long as the police want to impose it. 

Paris has been on high alert for terror attacks since jihadist gunmen and bombers killed 130 people in November 2015.

 

 

PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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