Risk of Death during Police Encounters in France across Age, Gender and Racial Groups
Social tensions in France are increasingly related to fatal interactions between minority populations and the police. In this study, we for the first time investigate racial disparities in the risk of death during police encounters in France. To overcome the absence of official data on race in France, we compile information from media reports on police-related deaths over the past 30 years and match them with official death registries. Our dataset comprises information about gender and age of the deceased as well as name-inferred race. To estimate relative mortality risks, we combine this data with national mortality data, accounting for gender and age mortality dynamics, and draw on recent estimates of the racial composition of the French population based on a large-scale survey. Our preliminary findings indicate that young men of North African, Sub-Saharan African, and Asian descent face a disproportionately higher risk of dying in police encounters compared to European men. Our findings highlight the pressing need for more comprehensive data to better understand and address these inequalities in police-related deaths in France.