The
Prefecture of Police (), headed by the
Prefect of Police (
Préfet de Police), is an agency of the
Government of France (and part of the
French National Police) which provides the
police force for the city of
Paris and the surrounding three suburban
départements of
Hauts-de-Seine,
Seine-Saint-Denis, and
Val-de-Marne. It is also in charge of
emergency services, such as the
Paris Fire Brigade, and performs administrative duties, such as issuing ID cards and driver licenses or monitoring alien residents. The Prefecture of Police also has limited security duties in the wider
Île-de-France région.
The prefecture is a large building located in the
Île de la Cité.
As it is the capital of
France, with government assemblies and offices and foreign embassies, Paris poses special issues of security and public order. Consequently, the national government has been responsible for providing law enforcement and emergency services since the creation of the Lieutenancy General of Police (
lieutenance générale de police) by
Louis XIV on March 15, 1667. Disbanded at the start of the
French Revolution in 1789, it was replaced by the current Prefecture of Police created by
Napoléon I on February 17, 1800. This means that Paris does not have its own
police municipale and that the
Police Nationale provides these services directly as a subdivision of France's
Ministry of the Interior.
Jurisdiction
The jurisdiction of the Prefecture of Police was initially the
Seine département. Its...
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