Safety advices in Paris
Safety advices in Paris
Spotting tourists in Paris is really easy as they do not behave or look like parisians at all.
Wherever possible, choose bank cashpoints protected by a door which limits access to one person at a time. Keep a note of the numbers of your traveller’s cheques and credit cards separately. Hotels and apartments inParis often provide safe boxes, either in the room or at reception - use them!
Paris is statistically one of the safest major metropolitan areas in Europe
Driving in Paris is not advisable and can be both dangerous and aggravating. Parking spaces are limited, traffic is dense, and erratic driving is common. If you must drive, make sure you have up-to-date international insurance.
What should you do if you are assaulted?
If you are the victim of an assault or an infraction, day or night, go to any police station in Paris ; they will take down the information concerning your complaint.
If you have been assaulted, a telephone alert is made from the “arrondissement” operations coordination bureau so that all personnel present in the designated area are informed immediately as to the suspect(s).
An inquiry is conducted through evidence gathered from witnesses and is studied together with similar facts in other incidents.
If you have been robbed, you are taken to the SARIJ (the service responsible for reception, research and judicial investigation) for the “arrondissement”; the civil servant who receives you will immediately prepare the report on the spot. Identification of the perpetrator owing to an automated fingerprint file is made possible in the event of traces left of imprints.
The operations coordination bureau circulates the information within the service’s operational units.
The personnel present orient their rounds and patrols in the designated area of the events having taken place, such that from the next day those responsible for the investigations conduct an inquiry in the neighbourhood in the same time frame as the break-in.
In any event you will be informed as to the follow-up to your complaint, by telephone, by mail or directly by the neighbourhood’s police officers.
More information in English at the Paris Police prefecture website
(Source : Paris Police Prefecture)
In case of loss or theft of credit cards and chequebooks, call the following numbers:
Visa 0 800 90 20 33
Diner’s Club 0 800 22 20 73
JCB 0 800 058 111
Eurocard – Mastercard 0 800 90 23 90
American Express cards (USA) 0 800 900 898
(other countries) 01 47 77 72 00
American Express traveller’s cheques 0 800 90 86 00
Chequebooks 08 92 68 32 08
USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Emergency police calls....................17
Paramedics....................................15
Fire Department .............................18
Poison Emergency Center ...............01 40 05 48 48
Emergency Medical Assistance .......01 47 07 77 77
Drug Squad Hot Line .......................0 800 14 21 52 (tollfree)
Information & Security Department.....................01 49 96 30 07
Téléphone information service Monday/Friday, 09.00 AM through 07.00 PM
Réception by appointment only Monday/Friday 09.00 AM through 12.30 PM
and 02.00 PM through 05.30 PM
Lost Property Service................................08 21 00 25 25 (0,12 euro/minute)
Préfecture de Police, 36, rue des Morillons
Paris 15lh - Subway Station Convention
Monday/Thursday 08.00 AM through 05.00 PM
Friday 08.30 AM through 04.30 PM
Lost or stolen mobile telephones
Cellular Phones are often whisked off dining tables or even snatched while people hold them up to their ears. It is recommended for tourists to keep their phones tucked away when you are not using them and most importantly be aware of your surroundings. Contact your service provider as soon as possible in order to have your line suspended :
• Orange :
Service (including subscription) 08 25 00 57 00 (0,15 euro/minute from a fixed line)
Mobicarte :08 92 70 17 22 (0,34 eum/minute from afixed Une)
Over the Internet : www.orange.fr > mon abonnement > SOS mobile
Access from abroad : 00 33 6 07 62 64 64 (price of an international call)
• Bouygues Telecom :
Fixed price : 08 00 29 10 00 (toll free from a fixed line)
Nomad card : 06 68 63 46 34 (price of a call towards a Nomad mobile phone)
Over the Internet : www.bouyguestelecom.fr > Espace Client
Access from abroad : Set price subscriptions : 00 33 1 46 10 86 86
Nomad Card offers : 00 33 6 68 63 46 34 (price of the foreign provider)
• SFR :
Option including subscription : 06 10 00 19 00 from a fixed phone (7 days a week, price of a call to an SFR mobile phone)
SFR Card option : 06 14 00 19 00 (6 days a week, price ofa call to an SFR mobile phone)
Universal Music Mobile option : 06 12 00 12 00 from a fixed line (6 days a week, price of a call to an SFR mobile phone)
Over the Internet : www.sfr.f
Access from abroad :
Options including subscription : 00 33 6 10 00 19 00
SFR Card offers : 00 33 6 14 00 19 00
UMM offers : 00 33 6 12 00 12 00
Fill up a complaint form at the nearest police station, including the serial number of your mobile phone (IMEI Code).
Taxis
It is not uncommon for Paris taxi drivers to overcharge unsuspecting tourists, so be sure to watch the meter, and ask questions if you must. Also, giving the driver a suggested route ahead of time with the aid of a map is a good idea.
In case you wish to lodge a complaint, approach the Police Préfecture, Bureau de la Réglementation Générale des Voitures Publiques : 01 55 76 20 11/02
