France's solution to juvenile crime

Riots involving youths have put juvenile crime on the agenda

Paris's suburbs are burning. In the joyless housing estates beyond the Paris ring road, arson is on the rise.

Gangs of teenagers set fire to dozens of cars on July 14th, France's national day.

Firemen called out to quell the flames found themselves under attack themselves.

The violence has put law and order back at the top of the French political agenda.

When President Jacques Chirac spoke on Bastille Day, it was the first issue he addressed.

France's cities though have grown tired of waiting for central government.

Orleans, 60 miles south of Paris, was the first to act - imposing a curfew on under 13-year-olds.

'Not racism, negligence'

Others followed suit - among them, Colombe, a working class Paris suburb. Almost half the population is of first or second generation immigrant origin.

Curfews for children have been proposed in Britain, too

Unemployment is very high. Olivier Camps-Vaquer, the deputy mayor and is responsible for law and order.

"When we see violence, cars burning, we blame it on racism, but its due to negligence," he says.

Children found by police on the streets without a parent or guardian after eleven at night get taken to the police station.

Their parents are called in and lectured on parental responsiblility. In extreme cases they can be fined.

It's early evening and at a cafe in Colombe a big queue has formed up at the tobacconist counter. What do they think of the child curfew?

A survey of opinion finds moderate support - "stupid", "a good thing", and "necessary" - but not many expect crime to be reduced.

Curfews in Britain

Nevertheless, local authorities in England and Wales will be watching closely.

They've had the option of using similar measures since 1998 but have so far held back. They might want to listen to sociologists like Sebastien Rocher, who is unimpressed.

"It's doubtful that this measure alone can have an effect on crime," he says.

M. Rocher is not alone in his doubts.

Many dismiss it as a political gesture intended to embarrass France's socialist government, others charge that it ignores poverty, unemployment, alcoholism and drug abuse.

Some fear it will lead to more discrimination against the poor and disadvantaged, the police complain that it means extra work.

But in Colombe they're adamant - a child on the streets late at night is a child in danger. Something had to be done.