The police force is under authority of the Minister of the Interior. At the top of the police hierarchy is the General Directorate of the National Police, which oversees several divisions. The Central Division of General Information controls information services concerning political, economical, and social issues. The Central Division of the City Police is in charge of city law enforcement. The Judicial Police Directorate is in charge of coordinating the search for the most dangerous delinquents and the investigation of the most serious offenses.

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The police force is under authority of the Minister of the Interior. At the top of the police hierarchy is the General Directorate of the National Police, which oversees several divisions. The Central Division of General Information controls information services concerning political, economical, and social issues. The Central Division of the City Police is in charge of city law enforcement. The Judicial Police Directorate is in charge of coordinating the search for the most dangerous delinquents and the investigation of the most serious offenses. The Territory Surveillance Directorate is in charge of State security. In French society, the administrative police generally maintain peace and order, such as the regulation of traffic. In addition, municipal police contribute to law enforcement in the municipalities.

The French legal system abides by the principal of unity of the civil and criminal justice system. The French Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP), sets out the powers, duties and responsibilities of the police, and those responsible for the supervision of criminal investigations. The role of the police is generally to ensure that the laws are observed and enforced. Efforts are also directed at the prevention of delinquency. The police must record the crime, gather evidence and seek out offenders. They must cooperate with the public prosecutor and inform him/her of all the crimes and offenses. In some instances, the police are under the direction of the public prosecutor.

The CCP outlines police public order powers as well as the powers of investigation. Police in France can stop and arrest an offender and bring him or her in front of the public prosecutor if they observe an offense that is in the process of being committed or has just been committed. This arrest can involve the search and seizure of witnesses and suspects. Search and seizure can occur during arrest, after the police have observed that a crime has just been committed or is about to be committed. As long as they have informed the public prosecutor's office, police can keep suspects under observation for 24 hours, and longer upon written authorization. For crimes not directly observable by police, a preliminary investigation is conducted under the direction of the public prosecutor to obtain information on the reported offense. Suspects can be kept under observation only if there is evidence against them and this decision can only be made by a judiciary police officer. The law guarantees that suspects have the right to request an attorney and the right to inform the family of the detention.

France also has mechanisms of internal and external evaluation that ensure proper police conduct. Ethical police conduct is further enforced by the Code of National Police (CNP) and related investigatory bodies.

Police personnel are recruited on a competitive basis. Training is given in specialized schools. Police officers are selected by an examination competition. The rank of the officers often depends upon the level of their education, whether secondary or post-secondary.

Analysis provided by: Piotr Bysina, Police Legal Expert.

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