The father of a 12-year-old girl found murdered in a Paris suburb has accused French police of systemic failures, intensifying a political crisis over European border security. Speaking outside the family home in Bobigny, the man, who has not been named, said officers ignored multiple warning signs in the days before his daughter’s body was discovered in a canal.
The killing has reignited debate over migration and policing practices in France and across the European Union. Investigators have confirmed that the prime suspect is a 24-year-old Algerian national with a history of petty crime, who was released from custody three weeks before the attack. He remains at large.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has ordered an internal inquiry, but his opposition has been scathing. Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, called for a parliamentary investigation and accused the government of prioritising political correctness over public safety. In a statement, she said: “The Republic has failed this child. We cannot protect our citizens if we do not control our borders.”
The case has exposed fractures within the Macron administration. The justice minister defended the decision to release the suspect, citing insufficient grounds for detention. But leaked police reports suggest officers had received three separate complaints about the suspect loitering near schools in the weeks before the murder. One report, filed five days before the body was found, noted “suspicious behaviour” but was not escalated.
The father’s emotional testimony has amplified public anger. “The police knew. They knew he was a danger. And they did nothing,” he told reporters. “My daughter would be alive today if they had done their job.” His comments were met with applause from a crowd of several hundred people who gathered for a vigil near the canal.
European security protocols are now under scrutiny. The suspect is believed to have entered France via Italy, part of the secondary movements that have become a flashpoint in EU migration debates. Border officials in Ventimiglia reported him in May but lacked legal authority to detain him. A senior EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the case as a “wake-up call for the Schengen system”.
French opposition parties have called for a suspension of Schengen cooperation, while police unions demand greater resources. The Alliance police union said officers were “overstretched and demoralised”, warning that similar tragedies are inevitable without fundamental reform.
President Emmanuel Macron has offered condolences but avoided direct comment. The Élysée says he will convene a security cabinet meeting next week. For now, the signs are that this case will shape the national conversation heading into the European elections.
The father’s final words to the media were stark: “I will fight for my daughter. And I will not stop until those who failed her are held accountable.”
Questions remain over how the suspect evaded capture for six days. French police have appealed for public help, while neighbours describe a community in shock. The mayor of Bobigny has called for a minute of silence at local schools. But for the father, silence is no longer an option.
