Refusal to comply: pursuit of fleeing vehicles generalized by a circular from Bruno Retailleau

In a telegram sent to the prefects on Monday, May 19, 2025, and which BFMTV was able to consult, the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, noted that refusals to comply represent "a threat" and a "danger" to public safety, sometimes leading to accidents.

"Refusals to comply constitute a threat to public order and a danger to our law enforcement officers as well as to third parties. The 25,000 incidents recorded each year sometimes give rise to unacceptable tragedies and must therefore be combated through increased mobilization," he declared.

Faced with this observation, the Minister of the Interior, who has just been elected president of the Republicans , has decided to tighten the rules regarding intervention. From now on, prefects will be instructed to generalize "the pursuit of fleeing vehicles that have evaded orders to stop."

This instruction aims to "harmonize the operational handling of these offenses across the entire territory," added Bruno Retailleau in his note.

"I know I can count on your mobilization, and that of all the services under your direction, in the fight against refusals to comply, which constitute a real danger for our society, and to which the police are the first exposed," concluded the Minister of the Interior.

Until now, note 89 adopted by the Central Directorate of Public Security (DCSP) only authorized car chases for extremely serious cases such as "the flight or escape of a dangerous individual" or "the pursuit of a perpetrator of a violent crime." For other situations, deemed less serious, car chases are not mandatory.

The decision of the tenant of Place Beauvau will therefore systematically authorize the pursuit of fleeing vehicles. However, since July 2020, an exception has been in effect in Île-de-France, where the pursuit of vehicles refusing to comply can be initiated by a police crew.

In 2024, the internal security forces recorded 24,900 road traffic violations . However, the number fell by 2% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of the Interior. "Nearly one in five road traffic violations is considered aggravated: in nine out of ten cases, these violations endanger other road users."

This announcement by Bruno Retailleau comes the day after a refusal to comply with an order in Toulon in the Var region. The 36-year-old man injured three officers from the Anti-Crime Brigade (BAC).