ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses to enhance the fact that the countryside, far from being the idyllic peace haven described by many rurals, is actually often plagued by some forms of criminality that used to be largely ignored, concealed or tolerated – for reasons stated. The myth of the peaceful is morphing into another myth, that of a place of many dangers. Rural France has long been perceived as a peaceful, safe place inhabited by reasonable people, far removed from any form of criminal behaviour. The nostalgia for rural France is a perennial characteristic of the French collective psyche, both from a conservative perspective and from a more libertarian or back-to-the-land point of view. Many public policies on security still seem to ignore the countryside in their action plans. The behaviour of the gendarmes is typical of one of the main characteristics of rural criminality, namely a will to conceal or not report offences and to settle disputes and conflicts among insiders.
