Sale on the street, tuks-tuks: vast police operation at the foot of the Eiffel Tower

Europe 10:11 p.m., April 26, 2022

Twenty street vendors arrested, tuk-tuks seized: a major police operation took place on Tuesday to control the perpetrators of offenses or scams at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, more numerous with the return of tourists.

35 people arrested

"This delinquency is not massive, but it is visible. It affects the tranquility of the public, local residents, traders who are victims of unfair competition and it affects the brand image of the capital and of France in general. ", explained Isabelle Tomatis, head of the Paris metropolitan area's local security department (DSPAP), to the media invited to attend the operation.

With the end of the health crisis, tourists are back in the capital and the crime associated with it too.

Without giving precise statistics, the commissioner notes that over the first three months of the year, "we are starting to go back to the figures for 2019", before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the main facts of delinquency identified by the police: pickpockets, street vendors or hat players, details Ms. Tomatis.

None will be arrested on Tuesday.

“They have tracking systems, with lookouts,” explains the commissioner.

A total of 35 people were arrested during this operation, including 23 for street hawking and 12 for violating the legislation on foreigners, the prefecture said.

"I keep touching my pockets"

Some 200 kilos of goods, including many small metal Eiffel Towers, were also seized.

And 30 fines were drawn up, including "26 traffic offenses targeting tuk-tuks", a kind of motorized tricycle.

Sitting at the wheel of his duly registered tuk-tuk, Hamid, 59, waits to present his license and registration document.

If all his papers are in order, he is however regularly fined for bad parking.

"The company I work for receives about 10 fines per month from the agency," laments the driver, who is asking the town hall for parking spaces to be able to wait and board tourists in good standing.

At his side, a young woman with Romanian papers, sees her seized tuk-tuk: it has no license plate and will be immobilized, explains a policeman.

"We don't feel insecure, but it's true that I keep touching my pockets to check that my wallet is there," explains Simon, who came with his family for the holidays.

"We are careful, like in all big cities," adds his companion, Gaëlle.

In total, some 150 police and public officials were mobilized on Tuesday.

These operations are intended to be repeated, "several times a week", including in other tourist places in the capital such as Le Louvre or Notre Dame, said Ms. Tomatis.