French National Police Organisation - SAINT

French National Police 

Formed 1966 

Preceding Agency 

Sûreté Nationale 

Employees 150,000 

Jurisdictional Structure 

Size 

551,695km² 

Population 

60 million 

Operational Structure 

Headquarters 

Paris 

Directorates 13 

France 

(Metropolitan and Overseas Territories) 

The National Police (Police Nationale), is one of two national police forces and the main civil law 

enforcement agency of France. The National Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the 

Interior and has about 150,000 employees. 

With primary jurisdiction in large cities and towns, Police Nationale: 

• conducts security operations (patrols, traffic control, identity checks etc.) 

• under orders and supervision of the Investigating magistrates of the judiciary, conducts 

criminal enquiries, serves search warrants, etc.; 

• maintains specific services ("judicial police") for criminal enquiries. 

The other main agency is the military Gendarmerie, with primary jurisdiction in smaller towns and 

rural and border areas. 

Organisation 

Headed by the DGPN (Direction Générale de la Police nationale, General Direction of the National 

Police), the police is divided into directorates: 

• Direction de l'administration de la police nationale (Directorate of Administration of the 

National Police; DAPN) 

• Direction de la formation de police nationale (Directorate of Training of the National Police; 

DFPN) 

• Direction centrale de la police judiciaire (Central Directorate of Judicial Police; DCPJ) – major 

• criminal investigations (known as "36 Quai des Orfèvres" in 

Paris) (It is actually located at 11 rue des Saussaies.) 

• Direction centrale de la sécurité publique (Central 

Directorate of Public Security; DCSP) ‐ uniformed patrol and 

response 

• Groupes d'Intervention de la Police Nationale 

(Intervention Groups of the National Police; GIPN) ‐ 9 

regional SWAT teams 

• Direction centrale de la police aux frontières (Central 

Directorate of Border Police; DCPAF) 

• Inspection générale de la police nationale (Inspectorate 

General of the National Police; IPGN) ‐ headed by the 

Inspector General and responsible for internal affairs 

• Direction centrale des compagnies républicaines de sécurité CRS in riot control gear 

(Central Directorate of the Republican Security Companies; 

DCCRS) ‐ riot police commonly referred to as the CRS 

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Police Language and Culture

• Service de coopération technique internationale de police (Technical International Police Cooperation 

Service; SCTIP) 

• Service de protection des hautes personnalités (Important Persons Protection Service; SPHP) – VIP 

protection, although the President of the French Republic is protected by both the Gendarmerie & 

the National Police (half/half) joined in a service called the Groupe de Sécurité de la Présidence de 

la République 

• The Préfecture de Police (Prefecture of Police) provides police and security services in Greater Paris 

• Recherche Assistance Intervention Dissuasion (Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence; 

RAID) ‐ counter‐terrorist unit 

Former Directorates 

As of 1 July 2008, the following two National Police directorates: 

• Direction de la surveillance du territoire (Directorate of Territorial Surveillance; DST) ‐ 

counterintelligence, counterespionage, counterterrorism 

• Direction centrale des renseignements généraux (Central Directorate of General Information; DCRG 

or RG) ‐ records, research, analysis, policing gambling and horse racing 

were merged into one single domestic intelligence agency titled the Direction centrale du 

renseignement intérieur (DCRI), and placed directly under the Ministry of the Interior. 

Ranks 

The National Police is divided into three corps, in the terminology of the French Civil Service, in 

ascending order of seniority: 

The Corps de maîtrise et d'application (Authority and Enforcement Corps) corresponds approximately 

to the enlisted and non‐commissioned ranks in a military force, or to constables and sergeants in a 

British‐style civil police force. 

Gardien de la paix stagiaire ("guardian of the peace, intern") 1 st year after school 

Gardien de la paix ("guardian of the peace") 

Sous‐brigadier, after 12 years of service 

Brigadier 

Brigadier‐chef 

Brigadier‐major 

The Corps de commande et d'encadrement (Command and Management Corps) corresponds 

approximately to the lower commissioned ranks of a military force, or to grades of inspector in a 

British‐style civil police force. These ranks were previously known as inspecteurs if detectives or 

officiers de la paix if uniformed, although CRS officers always used the current ranks. 

Lieutenant student 

Lieutenant intern 

Lieutenant (formerly Officier de la paix or Inspecteur) 

Capitaine (formerly Officer de la paix principal or Inspecteur principal) 

Commandant (formerly Commandant or Inspecteur divisionnaire) 

The Corps de conception et de direction (Conception and Direction Corps) corresponds approximately 

to the higher commissioned ranks of a military force, or to grades of superintendent and chief officers 

in a British‐style civil police force. 

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left to right : Police Commissioner, Divisional Commissioner, Controller 

General, Inspector General, Director of the Active Services 

Commissaire de police ‐ Police Commissioner 

Commissaire divisionnaire ‐ Divisional Commissioner 

Contrôleur général ‐ Controller General 

Inspecteur général ‐ Inspector General 

Directeur des services actifs ‐ Director of the Active Services 

Rank insignia is worn on the shoulders or on the chest (squared shaped instead of rectangular). 

Prior to 1995 two civilian corps ("Inspecteurs" and "Enquêteurs") existed in which plain‐clothes officers 

were given the training and authority to conduct investigations. The closest Anglo‐American equivalent 

is the private investigator. 

The powers of making a full arrest, hearing suspects, overseeing searches ordered by the judiciary, 

etc., are restricted to members of the police or the gendarmerie with the qualification of "officer of 

judiciary police" (officier de police judiciaire or OPJ). Other officers are only "agents of judiciary police" 

(agents de police judiciaire or APJ) and have only limited authority, restricted to assisting the officers. 

Equipment 

Vehicles 

Generally, in the provinces, a police station has six vehicles (four cars and two vans), eight motorcycles 

and two cars CRS (a van and an unmarked car). Most police vehicles are French brands such as Renault 

and Citroen but other French brands are also seen, e.g. Peugeot. 

The Police operate 45 helicopters. 

• Aérospatiale Alouette III (SE 3160, SA 316, SA 319B) 

• Eurocopter EC 145 

• Eurocopter Ecureuil (AS 350B, AS 350BA, AS 350B‐1) 

• Eurocopter Fennec (AS 550U‐2) 

Reference: www.interieur.gouv.fr/rubriques/c/c3_police_nationale/c33_organisation 

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French National Police Organisation - SAINT

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