National Police (France)
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The National Police (French: police nationale), formerly the Sûreté Nationale, is one of two national police forces and the main civil law enforcement agency of France, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns. The other main agency is the military Gendarmerie, with primary jurisdiction in smaller towns and rural and border areas. The National Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior and has about 145,699 employees (in April 2008).
The National Police operate mostly in large cities and towns. In that context:
- it conducts security operations (patrols, traffic control, identity checks...)
- under the orders and supervision of the Investigating magistrates of the judiciary, it conducts criminal enquiries, serves search warrants, etc.; it maintains specific services ("judicial police") for criminal enquiries.
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[edit] Organization
The police is commanded by the director-general (directeur général de la police nationale) who is currently Frédéric Pechenard. The director-general is directly in charge of the DGPN (Direction Générale de la Police nationale, in English "General Directorate of the National Police") [1]:
The police is then sub-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
- Sous-Directorate Anti-Terroriste (Anti-Terrorism Sub-Directorate; SDAT) - elite counter-terrorist brigade
- 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 (Central Directorate of the Republican Security Companies; DCCRS) - riot police commonly referred to as the CRS
- Service de coopération technique internationale de police (Technical International Police Co-operation Service; SCTIP)
- Service de protection des hautes personnalités (Important Persons Protection Service; SPHP) - VIP protection such as foreign diplomats and also responsible for the protection of the President of the French Republic through the 'Groupe de Sécurité de la Présidence de la République'.
- The Préfecture de Police de Paris provides police and security services in the Paris area
- Recherche Assistance Intervention Dissuasion (Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence; RAID) - counter-terrorist unit
[edit] Former directorates
As of 1 July 2008, the following two National Police directorates:
- Direction de la surveillance du territoire (Directorate of Territorial Surveillance; DST) - counter-intelligence, counterespionage, counterterrorism
- Direction centrale des renseignements généraux (Central Directorate of General Information; DCRG or RG) - records, research, analysis, and policing gambling and horse racing
were merged into one single domestic intelligence agency titled the Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur (DCRI). The DCRI was placed directly under the Ministry of the Interior.[1] The current director is Bernard Squarcini, then the director of the DST, who had also formerly served as second-in-command of the RG.
[edit] 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.
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Gardien de la paix stagiaire (keeper of the peace, intern") 1st year after school.
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Gardien de la paix (keeper of the peace")
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Sous-brigadier, after 12 years of service.
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Brigadier
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Brigadier-chef
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Brigadier-major
- The Corps de commandement 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.
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Lieutenant student
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Lieutenant intern
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Lieutenant (formerly Officier de la paix or Inspecteur)
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Capitaine (formerly Officer de la paix principal or Inspecteur principal)
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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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Commissaire de police (Police Commissary)
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Commissaire principal (Principal Commissary) - abolished in 2006
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Commissaire divisionnaire (Divisional Commissary)
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Contrôleur général (Controller General)
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Inspecteur général (Inspector General)
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Directeur des services actifs (Director of the Active Services)
All the ranks insignia may be worn either on the shoulders or on the chest. In the latter they are square-shaped.
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 detective.
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. See Law enforcement in France.
[edit] Equipment
[edit] Weapons
In 1935, the French police used a variety of side arms, both revolvers and semi-automatic pistols, notably comprising the MAS 1873, the MAS 1892, the FN M1900, Ruby pistols, and a variety of privately purchased weapons.
Immediately after the Second World War, a variety of military side arms was used, often captured weapons provided by the Army or French-produced German-designed weapons, such as the Mauser HSc or the Walther P38 for sidearms, and the Karabiner 98k rifle.
In 1951, a standardisation was performed on the RR 51[2] in 7.65 mm, and on the MAS-38 and MAT-49 for submachine guns. From 1953, in the context of heightening violence of the Algeria War, CRS units were upgraded to the 9mm MAC Mle 1950
From the early 1960, large-caliber revolvers were introduced, culminating with the introduction of the Manurhin MR 73 and the Ruger SP-101. In the 80s, a process to standardise on revolvers was initiated. The 1970s also saw the introduction of assault rifles (SIG SG 543) to fend off heavily armed organised crime and terrorism.
In the 2000s, the police started switching to semi-automatic pistols and to the 9mm Parabellum cartridge. For some years, the standard sidearm in the French Police National and the Gendarmerie Nationale was the Beretta 92FS. In 2003 both agencies made the biggest small arms contract since the Second World War[3] for about 250,000 SIG SP 2022, a custom-tailored variant of the Sig Pro. The weapons are planned to stay in service until the year 2022.
[edit] Cars
While the vast majority of vehicles are screenprinted French brand (mainly Renault, Citroen and Peugeot), some service vehicles are provided by Ford and Opel. Plain clothes officers or specialised branches use vehicles from a variety of builders.
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Police Motorcycle Yamaha FJR 1300
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Anti crime unit (Ford Mondeo Mk4)
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Official announcement of the DCRI's launch on the website of the French Ministry of the Interior.
- ^ http://www.littlegun.info/arme%20francaise/artisans%20m%20n%20o/a%20mapf%20mod%20r%20gb.htm
- ^ Ayoob, Massad F.: The Gun Digest Book of Sig-Sauer: A Complete Look at Sig-Sauer Pistols, page 80. Gun Digest, 2004.
[edit] External links
- Official site of the French MOI
- Official site of the Paris Prefecture of police
- Unofficial site of the National Police
