French Police Hierarchy

The French National Police is one of the two national police forces and the main civil law enforcement agency of France which has prime jurisdiction over large towns and cities.  The national police of France conducts security operations of patrolling, controlling traffic and identity checks.  There is a certain hierarchy structure or organization structure followed within the French Police department so as to ensure that a proper order is followed and responsibilities are well distributed. To understand the French Police hierarchy better, you can go through the following given information.

French Police Hierarchy

Director General

The National police of France is headed by the Director General who is directly in charge of the General directorate of the National Police. He is the immediate subordinate of the Minister of the interior.

After the director general, the police is then sub divided into central directorates which are composed of sub directories:

Directorate of Resources and Competencies of the National Police

This is the department which is the fusion of directorate of training of the national police and the directorate of administration of the national police.

Central Directorate of the Judicial Police

The next department which comes under the director general is the central directorate of the judicial police.  This is the department which is charged with all criminal investigations.  Within this department, there are 4 sub categories and they are given as follows:

  • Anti-terrorism sub directorate –this is the elite counter terrorist task force.
  • Sub directorate for the struggle against organized crime and financial delinquency-this is the department which includes all the national investigation offices specialized in that field except for the National itinerant criminality struggle office.
  • Sub directorate of forensics and crime scene investigations-this sub category department within the central directorate of the judicial police
  • Sub directorate for the struggle against computer and internet crime-this is the 4th department or sub department within the central directorate of the judicial police.

Central Directorate of Public Security

This is a department responsible for patrol and response, investigations, emergency help and 80% of the workforce.

Intervention Groups of the National Police

This is the department comprising of the nine regional SWAT teams.

Central Directorate of Border Police

This team performs identity checks.

Central Directorate of the Republican Security Companies

Riot police, motorway police, and mountain rescue

  • Technical International Police Co-operation Service

Important Persons Protection Service

SPHP-VIP protection such as foreign diplomats and also responsible for the protection of the President of the French Republic

  • Counterterrorism Struggle Coordination Unit) and it’s Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence; RAID unit.

Know about Paris Police Hierarchy.