The fieldwork was conducted in 1992 by the author for the British Policy Studies Institute. It involved interviews with personnel at all levels within the various police services (National Police, Gendarmerie, and Municipal Police), as well as with state employees involved in central and local administration, the judiciary, social services, and education; interviews were also conducted with police trade unionists and representatives of nonprofit organizations that have an interest in policing. Documentary sources were examined as well. The French have two national police forces (National Police and the Gendarmerie), each with an individual history and culture. There are also approximately 2,860 small municipal police forces. This study considers all of these police forces. The first chapter of this book considers the distinctive characteristics of the French police by referring to the historical origins of French policing. The next two chapters address the issue of how policing policy is made in France by reference to the formal arrangements within the political and legal system and to the law on operational police powers. A chapter discusses the organizational structures of the National Police and Municipal Police as well as the influence these have on policy outcomes. Another chapter profiles the organization of the Gendarmerie. The recent reforms of the policing services implemented by the Socialist Government between 1981 and 1993 are considered in another chapter. Three chapters then examine the three policies that are the focus of the comparative study of policing in England and France: measures to increase efficiency and effectiveness in policing; crime prevention; and the police handling of incidents of domestic dispute, rape, and child abuse. 6 tables, 6 figures, and a 61- item bibliography and a subject index