Paris tightens security to stem crimes against tourists

Beautiful Louvre Museum, Paris, France Paris police on Tuesday said they had tightened security and taken other measures to fight crimes targeting tourists in the world's most visited city. Paris, which attracted 29 million visitors last year, has seen a rise in pickpocketing, armed theft and muggings, as well as attacks on tourists, causing alarm and concern at home and abroad.
Some 200 police officers have been deployed daily since April across landmarks such as the Notre Dame cathedral, the Champs-Elysees avenue, the Louvre museum and the Montmartre area as well as on metros and trains to buck this trend.
Police would also liaise with tourism experts and embassies to "draw up a list of hotels around which security is required," the police statement said.
Messages warning tourists of potential pickpockets will be broadcast on buses running between Charles de Gaulle airport and the city centre.
Such messages in English, French, Spanish and Japanese already feature on underground trains.
Police said there are also plans to inform tourists about how to report such cases. Arrangements have been made to lodge a simplified police report in a choice of 16 languages.
A free guide on safe sightseeing will be made available more widely with Russian joining existing versions in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.
The Chinese embassy recently reported an increase in the number of complaints regarding muggings and other thefts on Chinese nationals, who are known for carrying big sums of cash, making them prime targets for criminals.
Paris's image was dealt another blow by recent violence during a trophy parade to mark football club Paris Saint-Germain's first French League win in 19 years. PSG fans ran riot near the Eiffel Tower, throwing smoke bombs, damaging bars and restaurants and attacking several tourists.
Workers at the Louvre museum also went on strike recently to protest increasingly aggressive pickpockets, forcing its closure for one day.
Source:  AFP