The Ministry of Police (french: Ministère de la police) was the

Government of France The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

department responsible for the police from its creation in 1796 to its suppression in 1818, and briefly again between 1852 and 1853. It was headed by the Minister of Police.

History

On 2 January 1796 and only two months after its establishment, the

Executive Directory The Directory (also called Directorate, ) was the governing five-member committee in the French First Republic from 2 November 1795 until 9 November 1799, when it was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte in the Coup of 18 Brumaire and replaced by ...

created a seventh ministry under the name of Ministry of General Police. The decree of creation mentions in its introduction a resolution of the

Council of Five Hundred The Council of Five Hundred (''Conseil des Cinq-Cents''), or simply the Five Hundred, was the lower house of the legislature of France under the Constitution of the Year III. It existed during the period commonly known (from the name of the e ...

recognizing that the

Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

was unable to properly lead the police of the

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

due to its size, and as such it declared a state of emergency. During its existence and after years of troubles, the ministry was able to create a database of known criminals and offenders which reportedly helped to stabilize the regime. Its administration was merged with the interior portfolio in 1818 by

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

. In 1852, President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte recreated the ministry for his friend

Charlemagne de Maupas Charlemagne Émile de Maupas (8 December 1818 – 19 June 1888) was a French lawyer and politician who was head of the Parisian Police during the critical period when Napoleon III seized power in the coup of 2 December 1851. Early years Charlemag ...

, but it was definitely abolished a year and a half later.

Minister

Organization

The headquarters of the department were located at the ''Hôtel de Juigné'', Quai Malaquais.

Notes

References

{{Authority control Government ministries of France Defunct law enforcement agencies of France