Bouches-du-Rhône is the leading department in terms of the number of stolen vehicles according to a group of French insurers. The most sought-after models are also the most sold. The targeted vehicles, whole or stripped down, generally supply Eastern countries and Africa from Marseille.
Ismael is crouched over his toolbox, attaching new bolts to his car. On the old one, the battery was taken from me “, explains this resident of a residential area in the north of Marseille. Thefts are not limited to simple spare parts: ” They stole two scooters from my sonhe laments. We found them in the 15th arrondissement, with some kids walking around with them. ! »
Ismaël is far from being an isolated case in the capital of Bouches-du-Rhône, the first department of France in the number of stolen vehicles, a city often associated with crime. In the 11th arrondissement of Marseille, Jeannot is at the stove in his restaurant. I had a Mercedes, a Class A, which I parked in front of my house. The next morning, no more contact, nothing. ! They had torn off the wiring harness. Since then, I have been putting the car in the garage “, he grumbles, recalling these bad memories, knowing that the cost of the garage comes to around fifty euros per month. Even for insurance, I had to pay an additional deductible. ! “, laments the restaurateur.
A few kilometers away, Eric is a mechanic. 80s music in the background in the workshop, gray work coat, he turns his wrench in his hand while talking about the spare parts stolen in recent months. There are a lot of flights, airbags, optics, dashboard displays, GPS, screens, all of that.he lists. This is the disease of our days ! »
8% of cars stolen across the whole of France in 2023
An observation shared by Bernard Leclerc, president of Argos, a group of insurers specializing in vehicle theft: “ This is where we encounter the most thefts.he confirms. There were 9 236 flights in Bouches-du-Rhône. » Which represents 8% of cars stolen across the whole of France in 2023. A number of thefts which can be explained in particular by two factors, according to Bernard Leclerc, the population density, firstly, and the particularity of Marseille, its history and its port, from where a large part of the stolen vehicles leave, mainly towards Africa.
Thefts of spare parts or entire cars, sometimes organized into a real network, from the thief to the garage owner. In one night, four vehicles of the same make and model, all four of which could be stolen, their hoods and engines removed, in the same town, and all of this in a very clean manner.explains Constant Caylus, head of the Bouches-du-Rhône gendarmerie. It is dismantled to be reassembled on other vehicles. This is where we see, investigations have shown, that we have real networks. »
The best-selling car in France in 2023, the Renault Clio logically comes out on top of the most stolen cars, but thieves can also set their sights on more high-end models or motorcycles, scooters, etc. These are often branded vehicles, according to the head of the gendarmerie. You have behind you big profits that are generated because a part that is reassembled with a new value, while it is in fact a stolen part, is a part that costs nothing. “The opportunity for him to recall that in France, one in six crimes is linked to automobiles.
Also listen toFaced with gangs in Marseille, “we cannot limit ourselves to one-off operations”