Sûreté (French for "surety" but is usually translated as "safety" or "security"^[1]) is a term used in French speaking countries or regions in the organizational title of a civil police force, especially the detective branch thereof.

Contents 1 France 1.1 History 1.2 Sûreté Nationale 1.3 Notable original members 2 Switzerland 3 Literature 4 See also 5 Notes

[edit] France

The former title of the French National Police was La Sûreté Nationale. It served initially as the criminal investigative bureau of the Paris police and did not function as the national command and control organization until much later by which time it no longer had any detectives on its staff.

Both the PP of Paris's own Brigade Criminelle and the Direction centrale de la police judiciaire directly trace their history to the Sûreté.

[edit] History

It was founded by Eugène François Vidocq in 1812 and headed until 1827. It was the inspiration for Scotland Yard, the FBI and other departments of criminal investigation throughout the world. Vidocq was convinced that crime could not be controlled by then-current police methods, so he organized a special branch of the criminal division modelled on Napoleon's political police. The force was to work undercover and its early members consisted largely of reformed criminals. By 1820 – eight years after its formation – it had blossomed into a 30-man team of experts that had reduced the crime rate in Paris by 40%.

The Sûreté is considered a pioneer of all crime fighting organizations in the world.^[who?]

On 23 April 1941 the French police was nationalized under the Vichy regime and each was placed under the prefect, the term National Police was then first used. The sole exception was the Paris Prefecture of Police.

This organisational name was used during the Fourth and Fifth French Republic.

[edit] Sûreté Nationale

On 9 July 1964 the previously independent police in Paris were placed under the Sûreté Nationale, and 10 July 1966 saw the final reorganization into the National Police in its present form.

[edit] Notable original members

• Eugène François Vidocq – founder and first chief
• Sergeant Rioux –^{[citation needed]}
• Fouche^{[citation needed]}
• Goury – a former swindler^{[citation needed]}
• Ronquett – a cardshark^{[citation needed]}
• Aube – an ex-forger^{[citation needed]}
• Coco Lacour – a sneak thief^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Switzerland

The Sûreté is the name of the detective force of the French-speaking Swiss Cantons.

[edit] Literature

• Gerhard Feix: Das große Ohr von Paris - Fälle der Sûreté. Berlin, 1975.

[edit] See also

Look up sûreté in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Sûreté du Québec
• Inspector Clouseau

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Security in French is Sécurité, It was originally called Brigade de Sûreté (Surety Brigade)

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