FRANCE

Organized crime in France

Most organized crime offences in France are committed by national criminal organizations operating from Lille, Paris, Lyon, Grenoble, Marseille and the island of Corsica. As they join forces in criminal enterprise, these networks are turning increasingly towards drug trafficking and its associated crimes, particularly financial crime.     

Using sophisticated technology, these networks elude police detection and sideline competition by using the darknet and encrypted communications. They are more and more hierarchical and violent, infiltrating the national economy through legal businesses.

INTERPOL in France

INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Paris is part of the DCPJ, or National Criminal Police, whose director is also the head of the NCB. The DCPJ’s International Relations Department (DRI) manages the day-to-day running of the NCB. Officers from a wide range of national agencies, including police, gendarmerie and customs services, make up DRI staff. The DRI hosts European and international police cooperation channels for France, as a single point of contact.

In addition to its main office, NCB Paris operates via a network of officers deployed to national operational units where they manage requests for international police cooperation. These officers specialize in specific crime areas, including organized crime, drugs, human trafficking, economic crime, cybercrime, trafficking in works of art and illegal migration.

The DRI’s Extraditions Office is part of NCB Paris and deals with INTERPOL diffusions and Notices, including Red Notices, in their national operational police phase. It works directly with the Ministry of Justice to coordinate arrests and extraditions.

This unique DRI working structure enables NCB Paris to respond quickly and comprehensively to national law enforcement units requiring international police cooperation to advance their investigations.

Law enforcement in France

In France, the national police and gendarmerie are responsible for protecting people and property against the threat of crime, including organized crime, drug trafficking, terrorism, illegal immigration and cybercrime.

Both forces are part of the Ministry of Interior and receive training in schools that combine theory and practice as it relates to law and order and crime investigations.

Protecting France against the threat of terrorism is high on the agenda of the Ministry of Interior, which maintains the highest level of alert, prevention and protection, on a permanent basis, through its national police forces.