NCJ Number
147564
Journal
International Journal of the Sociology of Law Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1993) Pages: 281-287
Date Published
1993
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The French police system is comprised of the Police Nationale, the Gendarmerie, and municipal police and is very different from the English system, particularly with respect to centralization and unification.
Abstract
From a historical perspective, the French police system was characterized in terms of a move toward centralization. Police forces were nationalized in 1851, and the Police Nationale was created in 1941. In 1966, unification became a reality with the National Police System. More recently, the French police system has moved away from centralization. France actually has three police systems: Police Nationale under the Interior Ministry, the Gendarmerie under the Defense Ministry, and municipal police. The Police Nationale employs approximately 125,000 people. The Gendarmerie employs about 90,000 people and provides police services in rural areas. About 10,000 municipal police officers work in some 2,860 localities. Municipal police officers are appointed by mayors and have a joint responsibility with the National Police and the Gendarmerie for crime prevention. The Supreme Council, established in 1993, consists of 18 members who focus on police-community relations. Since 1990, the Interior Ministry has encouraged the unification of police services locally to fight crime. Urban police, political police, and air police are supposed to work under the control of one departmental director. Although there has been recent interest in local police decentralization, the French police system remains primarily national and centralized. 4 references