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A crackdown on knives, urban security, and expulsions: the government is developing a new security package comprising approximately sixty measures, which may shortly be submitted to the Council of Ministers. At the core of the measure is an outright prohibition on the possession of knives and weapons, with immediate sanctions and increasingly stringent penalties. The measure establishes a comprehensive prohibition on the possession of knives and covert cutting instruments, especially those with blades exceeding five centimeters in length, switchblades, or butterfly knives. Anyone found carrying these weapons faces a one to three year prison sentence, with aggravating circumstances if the offense occurs near schools, parks, train stations, or subways, or if the person's face is covered. Sales to minors are likewise prohibited: anyone selling knives, including online, faces fines of up to €3,000 and the temporary suspension of their business. Additional administrative consequences, imposed immediately by the prefect, include the suspension of a driver's license, passport, guns license, and, for foreign citizens, residency permits. If the crime is committed by a minor, the parents or guardians will face fines ranging from €200 to €1,000. Furthermore, the minimum age for receiving a direct warning from the police commissioner for offenses such as weapon possession, fighting, threats, domestic violence, stalking, and cyberbullying has been reduced from 14 to 12. The program also encompasses a €50 million fund allocated by the Ministry of the Interior to enhance security at railway stations, through agreements with the FS Group and expanded law enforcement access to passenger and freight traffic databases. Finally, a new offense has been established for individuals who fail to halt at a police checkpoint and attempt to flee, thereby jeopardizing public safety, with penalties spanning from six months to five years of imprisonment. The measure additionally imposes stricter penalties for offenses committed against journalists in the course of their duties and creates faster procedures for the revocation of residence permits, thereby accelerating expulsions following the police commissioner's second removal order.
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