ABSTRACT
From a theoretical point of view, the French system of policing seems to be one of the more rational and one of the more efficient of Western democracies. The national police forces, which represent the main part of the police forces, are organized in a very hierarchical and centralized way. All rules governing these forces are produced in a top-down logic, supervised by the Ministère de l’Intérieur (Home Office) in Paris. This centralization is supposed to offer the best way to use the police officers and the materials.
