The cascade of complaints received by the Bouches-du-Rhône police department this summer from motorists who were surprised to discover that their vehicles had been targeted by thieves keen on reversing cameras. The perpetrators of these thefts were finally arrested and sentenced by the courts in November, as confirmed to the Figaro from police and judicial sources.

“This involved Clio 5s. The camera is embedded in the Renault logo, itself easily removable.”says Superintendent Joël Groisne, head of the Aix-en-Provence criminal investigation department, in charge of the Vitrolles district. “We’re talking about a total of 538 stolen cameras, including 400 in the autonomous port of Marseille alone”.continues the commissioner, referring to the investigation carried out by the Groupe de lutte contre le trafic auto (GTA, in reference to the famous video game Grand Theft Auto ).

Attached to the Vitrolles police station, this unit, specially created to combat the theft of vehicles and accessories, was put on the trail of the criminals on the night of November 12 to 13, when a last botched robbery took place. “A suspicious individual had been spotted lurking around a Renault dealership in Vitrolles. In fact, he had managed to attack vehicles, dismantling 19 cameras.”recalls Joël Groisne.

400 cameras stolen from the port of Marseille

Placed in police custody, the man quickly sat down with the investigators. He confessed to being behind the theft, claiming to be a homeless man who had been dropped off near the dealership by a man with a car. “friend got into a rented car. The car was found in Marseille and put under surveillance by the Brigade Anticriminalité Nord (Bac nord), which reached “jam” this accomplice in the process.

Analysis of the duo’s telephones enabled GTA police officers to link the criminals to numerous thefts in Aubagne, Marseille and Vitrolles. When contacted, Renault confirmed to the police that it had been the target of thefts in these two towns, with 130 cameras mysteriously stolen. But the “big” of these thefts led the police straight to the autonomous port of Marseillewhich handles over 1.5 million containers a year.

“400 cameras belonging to cars parked on the port waiting to be exported were stolen by this individual using an identical modus operandi”confirms Superintendent Groisne, referring to the resale of these accessories. “These parts are highly sought-after on the second-hand market.The author sold them individually on the street for around thirty euros, or in batches to unscrupulous garages”.stresses the police officer.

Today, some garages have realized that they have everything at their disposal in the street.

Joël Groisne, police commissioner in charge of the Vitrolles district

A godsend for these unscrupulous garage owners, who are seized by numerous customers to replace these cameras with a resale value of around 200 euros. The volume of accessory thefts is said to have “exploded”. since a law came into force in 2019 obliges automotive professionals to offer used parts to their customers. “Today, some garages have realized that they have everything available to them on the street. Many garages buy their parts on the black market, sometimes even stealing to order in order to acquire them fraudulently”.says Joël Groisne.

Summoned to appear before the Aix-en-Provence criminal court a few days ago for an immediate hearing, the criminal duo were finally sentenced by the courts. The main suspect was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, including 3 months’ probation for 2 years. His accomplice, who drove him around the concessions, was sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment with electronic surveillance.