France has a similar crime rate to most other European countries and in common with them crime has increased considerably in recent years; the number of reported crimes has almost doubled in a decade: an estimated 18m offences are reported to the police each year, 5m of which result in an official crime report and 1.3m in legal procedings, 650,000 in court, although more than half of these cases are dropped.

Thefts in France

Thefts are soaring (around half of crimes involve theft) and burglary has reached epidemic proportions in some areas (holiday or second homes are a popular target). Many people keep dogs as a protection or deterrent against burglars and fit triple-locked and steel-reinforced doors. However, crime in rural areas remains relatively low and it’s still common for people in villages and small towns not to lock their homes or cars. Car theft and theft from cars is rife in Paris and other cities. Foreign-registered cars are a popular target, particularly expensive models, which are often stolen to order and spirited abroad. Car burning has become a popular ‘sport’ among urban youth gangs. An average of 200 cars are set alight in various cities (especially Mulhouse and Strasbourg) every weekend. Other ‘games’ include driving without lights at night and shooting at the first car to flash its headlights!

Excerpts taken from here  http://www.justlanded.de/english/France/Articles/Culture/Crime-in-France