Judicial police (France)

The judicial police in France are responsible for the investigation of criminal offenses and identification of perpetrators.[1][2] This is in contrast to the administrative police, whose goal is to ensure the maintenance of public order and to prevent crime.[1] Article 14 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure provides the legal basis for the authority of the Judicial police.[3][4]

The separation of administrative and judicial policing functions dates to the 1795 Code of Offences and Penalties, and is still in force today. It is a functional distinction, which does not necessarily imply an organizational separation: a single organization may be charged with carrying out both types of police functions: one example is the National Gendarmerie.[citation needed]