French authorities call for videos of looting to identify rioters

Meanwhile, the French government has been keen to project a firm response to last weekend's violence. As officials say, more than a thousand people were being prosecuted for their role in the unrest. To help identify some of those rioters, authorities are calling on people who filmed scenes of looting to assist the investigation by handing in the videos, a request that sparked a heated debate. Nick Rushworth tells us more. Will videos be the key to identifying the rioters of the 17th of October? Authorities in Lyon are asking people to share their footage with investigators without filing a complaint. The city still shows signs of damage. Locals when asked appear to welcome the idea. I personally find it especially convenient to help the police and law enforcement. All that, it's important. I would gladly share with pleasure with the police. The idea is to find the culprits. Others were not so in favour. Yes, the people who looted should be punished. That's a reality. This shouldn't happen. But it's not people's job to do this work. The call for video evidence is being made in several French departments, Var in southern France, Gironde in the southwest, and in Paris, where the police prefecture has created an online platform. It is accessed via a secure connection used for taxes or social security. People can upload videos and photos along with some information. Online criticisms of that have included posts saying Bravo's snitching, the Vichy spirit, and can we also report security forces abuses. The site is proving useful for investigators. It makes it easier for people who might be reluctant to go to a police station. A victim thinks of reporting an incident, but they won't go to the police station to do so because they have a period where they wonder if it's worth going to make a complaint. They're in a state of shock. The prefecture says more than 350 files were submitted in a period of 24 hours.