National Police (France)

National Police
Police nationale
MottoPro patria vigilant[1]
(They are watching for their country)
Agency overview
Formed23 April 1941[2][3] (unification of existing units)
Preceding agency
  • Sûreté nationale (1944–1966)
Employees145,200 (2015)
Annual budget12.64 billion (2021)
Jurisdictional structure
National agencyFrance
Operations jurisdictionFrance
Size551,695 km2
Population67.2 million
General nature
Operational structure
Overseen byGeneral Directorate of the National Police
HeadquartersParis, France
Minister responsible
Agency executive
Parent agencyMinistry of the Interior
Child agency
Directorates
Facilities
Vehicles31 263 (2021)
Helicopters0 (see Sécurité Civile)
Website
www.police-nationale.interieur.gouv.fr (in French)
Colour guard of the General Directorate of the National Police, 2013 Bastille Day parade, Paris

The National Police (French: Police nationale), formerly known as the Sûreté nationale, is one of two national police forces of France, the other being the National Gendarmerie. The National Police is the country's main civil law enforcement agency, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns. By contrast, the National Gendarmerie has primary jurisdiction in smaller towns, as well as in rural and border areas. The National Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior and has about 145,200 employees (as of 2015). Young French citizens can fulfill their mandatory service (Service national universel) in the police force.[4][5]

The national police force was created on 14 August 1941, under the Vichy regime, by a decree signed by the head of government, Philippe Pétain. This decree implements the law of 23 April 1941, creating the Police nationale: the forces of the Sûreté nationale (with the former services of the Sûreté générale, which became the Sûreté nationale in 1934, and the municipal police units, which became "étatisées" for the police forces of towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants) and the police services of the Préfecture de police in Paris are thus united. It was dissolved after the Liberation, by order of the Provisional Government of the French Republic on 16 November 1944. It was revived by Law no. 66-492 of 9 July 1966, on the organization of the police in France. This law unified the Sûreté Nationale and the Préfecture de Police.

The National Police operates mostly in cities and large towns. In that context, it conducts security operations such as patrols, traffic control and identity checks. Under the orders and supervision of investigating magistrates of the judiciary, it conducts criminal inquiries and serves search warrants. It also maintains specific services ('judicial police') for these inquiries.

  1. ^ "Police Nationale – Une force d'action et de protection au service de tous" (in French). Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  2. ^ "Loi du 23 avril 1941 portant organisation générale des services de police en France". criminocorpus.org (in French). 13 March 2008.
  3. ^ "Histoire" [History]. Police Nationale (in French). Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  4. ^ "France begins trial of compulsory civic service for teens". France 24. 16 June 2019.
  5. ^ Williamson, Lucy (26 June 2019). "France's raw recruits sign up for return of national service". BBC News.