Arrested in Lille: the Belgian border and the crossroads
Lille is minutes from Belgium, an hour from the Channel and on the high-speed line to London and Brussels. Almost everything here involves a border, and a large share of the caseload concerns people in transit.
What actually happens here
- The Belgian border. Customs, tobacco, cash and narcotics moving in both directions, with Belgian proceedings frequently at the other end — see the guide for Belgium.
- The Channel and the ports, with migration offences and the vehicle cases that accompany them.
- Rail. International trains produce arrests on alerts, including of people simply passing through.
- Students, in one of the largest university populations in France.
- Nightlife in the old town: fights and public order cases.
Cross-border cases raise the question of being prosecuted twice for the same acts, which within the Union is answered by the rule set out in the guide on double prosecution. It has to be raised with the foreign decision in hand.
The French clock, in short
A person held in Lille is in garde à vue: 24 hours, extendable once by the prosecutor, and up to 96 hours where organised crime is alleged. France has no bail: the magistrate decides between release, judicial supervision and detention. The full framework is in the guide for France.
Frequently asked questions
I was stopped crossing from Belgium.
Cross-border cases are the norm here, and there is often a parallel Belgian file. Both sides have to be handled together.
Can I be prosecuted in both countries?
Not for the same acts once a final decision exists in one of them, but the point must be raised with the foreign decision produced and translated.
How long can they hold me?
Twenty-four hours, extendable once to forty-eight, and longer where organised crime is alleged.
I was arrested on the train.
Transit is enough. What matters is whether an alert was triggered or something was found: they are different cases.
If this is happening now
In France no interview may begin without a lawyer present, so the hours before it are the ones that count. First contact is free and covered by professional privilege, at any hour.