During the last two decades, France has been affected by various changes concerning safety policies. Traditionally, political and administrative centralism has been highlighted when describing the French model of governance with even a stronger image when considering the field of security/safety. However, even though the central state has not disappeared, the last 20 years have seen a challenge to the prominent position of the state in the regulation of French society with relations between national law enforcement institutions and localities resurfacing as a public policy issue. This paper describes the French policymaking framework in general and safety in particular. It examines the major trends in the governance of safety, as well as questioning the process by identifying the points of conflict and ambiguity in the current dynamic. Various local strategies to tackle crime are then discussed, providing the opportunity to illustrate both the mixed nature of the French model and the different local strategies. The paper attempts to understand interagency coordination and reference the existence of a complex array of networks governing safety. Lastly, it critically examines the claim made by some scholars of the turn to repressive policies and the potential impact on local policies. Notes, references