It obviously makes sense to take the normal precautions : not flashing wads of notes or travellers' cheques around; carrying your bag or wallet securely; never letting cameras and other valuables out of your sight; and parking your car overnight in an attended garage or within sight of a police station. But the best security is having a good insurance policy, keeping a separate record of cheque numbers, credit card numbers and the phone numbers for cancelling them , and the relevant details of all your valuables.

If you need to report a theft , go along to the commissariat de police , where they will fill out a constat de vol . The first thing they'll ask for is your passport, and vehicle documents if relevant. Although the police are not always as co-operative as they might be, it is their duty to assist you if you've lost your passport or all your money.

If you have an accident while driving, you have officially to fill in and sign a constat A  l'aimable (jointly agreed statement); car insurers are supposed to give you this with the policy, though in practice few seem to have heard of it. For non-criminal driving offences such as speeding, the police can impose an on-the-spot fine.

People caught smuggling or possessing drugs , even a few grams of marijuana, are liable to find themselves in jail, and consulates will not be sympathetic. This is not to say that hard-drug consumption isn't a visible activity: there are scores of kids dealing in poudre (heroin) in the big French cities and the authorities seem unable to do much about it. As a rule, people are no more nor less paranoid about cannabis busts than they are in the UK or North America.

Should you be arrested on any charge, you have the right to contact your consulate.