Police organisation
Police nationale
One of France’s two national forces. It is a civil force, bound with the Gendarmerie nationale by a single regulatory code of ethics.
At a glance
- Official name
- Police nationale
- System
- France
- Level of government
- National
- Kind of body
- National police force
- Status
- Currently operating
- Facts last checked against sources
- 13 September 2026
What it is
France runs two national forces rather than one. Article R434-1 of the Code de la sécurité intérieure provides that its chapter "constitue le code de déontologie de la police nationale et de la gendarmerie nationale pour l’exécution de leurs missions de sécurité intérieure", and article R434-2 that the two are subject to common ethical rules and to rules particular to each. The Police nationale is the civil force of that pair; the Gendarmerie is an armed force. Where judicial-police work is concerned, article 12 of the Code de procédure pénale places it under the direction of the procureur de la République, whichever force carries it out.
What it covers
National, in the sense of belonging to the state rather than to a locality. The division of territory between the Police nationale and the Gendarmerie nationale is NOT established here.
Broad responsibilities
- Internal-security missions, under the shared code of ethics
- Judicial-police work, under the direction of the procureur de la République
Elsewhere on this site
- Who polices what — how France is structured, against other systems
Other organisations to compare
- Gendarmerie nationale — France
Where this connects
Institutions: National police, Municipal police.
Sources
République française (Légifrance) · Legislation · 2014-01-01 · link verified 2026-08-10
Supports the exact wording of article R434-1, in force from 1 January 2014, 'Les dispositions du présent chapitre constituent le code de déontologie de la police nationale et de la gendarmerie nationale pour l'exécution de leurs missions de sécurité intérieure'; and article R434-2, that the two forces 'sont soumises à des règles déontologiques communes et à des règles propres à chacune d'elles'. Supports that one regulatory code binds both national forces. It does NOT support any claim about the content of individual duties, about enforcement of the code, or about compliance.
Article 12 du Code de procédure pénale
République française (Légifrance) · Legislation · 1958-04-08 · link verified 2026-07-24
Supports the exact wording that the police judiciaire is exercised 'sous la direction du procureur de la République' by the officers, officials and agents designated in that title. Légifrance records the provision as in force from 8 April 1958 and as scheduled for repeal by Ordonnance n° 2025-1091 of 19 November 2025 with effect from 1 January 2029; any citation must state that it is current law carrying a scheduled end date. Does NOT support any claim about which bodies those designated officers belong to, nor about investigative practice.