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Dispute with police or other security agency
Verified 21 January 2021 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
He who has a right through a parent or relative
What applies to you ?
Dispute with police
If you are a victim or witness to law enforcement conduct that you consider illegal, you can alert the Defender of Rights. If the acts are committed by police officers, you can also alert the National Police Inspectorate.
The French Defender of Rights ensures that those carrying out security activities in France comply with professional ethics.
It may intervene in the security activities of the following persons:
- Public security officers (police, gendarmes, customs officers, prison guards, rural or forestry guards, etc.)
- Agents of bodies with a public service mission (e.g. public transport supervisors)
- Private security company employees (guarding, surveillance, cash-in-transit services, etc.)
You can refer to the Defender of Rights if you are the victim or witness to behavior by law enforcement or security agents that you consider illegal. You can also do this if you are the representative or the person entitled to it of a direct victim.
The facts must occur in the professional context of the officers, for example in one of the following situations:
- Arrest or police custody
- Identity check
- Filing a complaint (refusal, contempt, moral judgment, etc.)
- Detention (violence, humiliation, deprivation, etc.)
- Excavation
- Policing of demonstrations (misuse of intermediate force weapons (flash-ball)
Such behavior can also be observed in another context, outside the judicial or prison framework: supermarkets, customs, airports, etc.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
On the spot
You can make an appointment with a representative of the Defender of Rights.
Who shall I contact
By mail
Who shall I contact
Defender of Rights
By telephone (general information)
09 69 39 00 00
Cost of a local call
From Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm
By post (to lodge a complaint with the Defender of Rights) By free post, without postage
Defender of Rights
Free answer 71120
75342 Paris cedex 07
Attention: attach photocopies of the documents relating to your referral to your post.
By E-mail
Access to contact form
Who shall I contact
Warning
the referral to the Defender of Rights does not suspend the time limits for initiating a legal action.
Powers of the Ombudsman
The Defender of Rights may collect any useful information on the facts of the case.
It may request information from the authorities, private persons and ministers responsible for seizing control bodies (general inspections).
He can do on-site checks in public places and business premises.
A public official, a private security business officer and his staff may be summoned and questioned by the Defender of Rights.
Case Processing
Where the facts of the case suggest the existence of a criminal offense, the Defender of Rights must refer the matter to the public prosecutor.
Where the facts appear to constitute breaches of discipline, he may inform the authorities or persons vested with disciplinary authority. The holders of disciplinary authority must answer to the Defender of Rights for the follow-up given to the case.
In order to remedy the shortcomings found or prevent their recurrence, the Defender of Rights may address an opinion or a recommendation to the authorities concerned, which must respond to him within the time limit set by him.
In the absence of a response, or if the recommendation has not been followed, the Defender of Rights may draw up a special report and make it public.
If you believe that you are a victim of or witness to illegal behavior by national police officers, you can contact the General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) online.
To do this, you must use a reporting form. If you wish, you will be informed of the outcome of your report.
Submit online to the Inspectorate General of the National Police
Any false report is systematically reported to the judicial authority and may be the subject of a complaint by the Ministry of the Interior.
Please note
this statement does not constitute a lodging of a complaint.
Dispute with the gendarmerie
If you are a victim or witness to acts contrary to the ethics of the forces of law, you can alert the Defender of Rights. If the acts are committed by gendarmes, you can also alert the general inspectorate of the national gendarmerie.
The French Defender of Rights ensures that those carrying out security activities in France comply with professional ethics.
It may intervene in the security activities of the following persons:
- Public security officers (police, gendarmes, customs officers, prison guards, rural or forestry guards, etc.)
- Agents of bodies with a public service mission (e.g. public transport supervisors)
- Private security company employees (guarding, surveillance, cash-in-transit services, etc.)
You can refer to the Defender of Rights if you are the victim or witness to behavior by law enforcement or security agents that you consider illegal. You can also do this if you are the representative or the person entitled to it of a direct victim.
The facts must occur in the professional context of the officers, for example in one of the following situations:
- Arrest or police custody
- Identity check
- Filing a complaint (refusal, contempt, moral judgment, etc.)
- Detention (violence, humiliation, deprivation, etc.)
- Excavation
- Policing of demonstrations (misuse of intermediate force weapons (flash-ball)
Such behavior can also be observed in another context, outside the judicial or prison framework: supermarkets, customs, airports, etc.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
On the spot
You can make an appointment with a representative of the Defender of Rights.
Who shall I contact
By mail
Who shall I contact
Defender of Rights
By telephone (general information)
09 69 39 00 00
Cost of a local call
From Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm
By post (to lodge a complaint with the Defender of Rights) By free post, without postage
Defender of Rights
Free answer 71120
75342 Paris cedex 07
Attention: attach photocopies of the documents relating to your referral to your post.
By E-mail
Access to contact form
Who shall I contact
Warning
the referral to the Defender of Rights does not suspend the time limits for initiating a legal action.
Powers of the Ombudsman
The Defender of Rights may collect any useful information on the facts of the case.
It may request information from the authorities, private persons and ministers responsible for seizing control bodies (general inspections).
He can do on-site checks in public places and business premises.
A public official, a private security business officer and his staff may be summoned and questioned by the Defender of Rights.
Case Processing
Where the facts of the case suggest the existence of a criminal offense, the Defender of Rights must refer the matter to the public prosecutor.
Where the facts appear to constitute breaches of discipline, he may inform the authorities or persons vested with disciplinary authority. The holders of disciplinary authority must answer to the Defender of Rights for the follow-up given to the case.
In order to remedy the shortcomings found or prevent their recurrence, the Defender of Rights may address an opinion or a recommendation to the authorities concerned, which must respond to him within the time limit set by him.
In the absence of a response, or if the recommendation has not been followed, the Defender of Rights may draw up a special report and make it public.
If you wish to inform the General Inspectorate of the National Gendarmerie of facts that you consider illegal, you can submit a complaint online. You will be informed of the outcome of your report.
Contact the Inspectorate General of the National Gendarmerie online
Any false report is systematically reported to the judicial authority and may be the subject of a complaint by the Ministry of the Interior.
Please note
this statement does not constitute a lodging of a complaint.
Dispute with a private security company
If you believe that a person or organization carrying out a security activity is engaging in behavior that you consider illegal, you can refer the matter to the Defender of Rights.
The French Defender of Rights ensures that those carrying out security activities in France comply with professional ethics.
It may intervene in the security activities of the following persons:
- Public security officers (police, gendarmes, customs officers, prison guards, rural or forestry guards, etc.)
- Agents of bodies with a public service mission (e.g. public transport supervisors)
- Private security company employees (guarding, surveillance, cash-in-transit services, etc.)
You can refer to the Defender of Rights if you are the victim or witness to behavior by law enforcement or security agents that you consider illegal. You can also do this if you are the representative or the person entitled to it of a direct victim.
The facts must occur in the professional context of the officers, for example in one of the following situations:
- Arrest or police custody
- Identity check
- Filing a complaint (refusal, contempt, moral judgment, etc.)
- Detention (violence, humiliation, deprivation, etc.)
- Excavation
- Policing of demonstrations (misuse of intermediate force weapons (flash-ball)
Such behavior can also be observed in another context, outside the judicial or prison framework: supermarkets, customs, airports, etc.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
On the spot
You can make an appointment with a representative of the Defender of Rights.
Who shall I contact
By mail
Who shall I contact
Defender of Rights
By telephone (general information)
09 69 39 00 00
Cost of a local call
From Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm
By post (to lodge a complaint with the Defender of Rights) By free post, without postage
Defender of Rights
Free answer 71120
75342 Paris cedex 07
Attention: attach photocopies of the documents relating to your referral to your post.
By E-mail
Access to contact form
Who shall I contact
Warning
bringing a case before the Defender of Rights does not suspend the time limit for initiating a legal action.
The Defender of Rights may collect any useful information on the facts of the case.
It may request information from the authorities, private persons and ministers responsible for seizing control bodies (general inspections).
He can do on-site checks in public places and business premises.
A public official, a private security business officer and his staff may be summoned and questioned by the Defender of Rights.
Where the facts of the case suggest the existence of a criminal offense, the Defender of Rights must refer the matter to the public prosecutor.
Where the facts appear to constitute breaches of discipline, he may inform the authorities or persons vested with disciplinary authority. The holders of disciplinary authority must answer to the Defender of Rights for the follow-up given to the case.
In order to remedy the shortcomings found or prevent their recurrence, the Defender of Rights may address an opinion or a recommendation to the authorities concerned, which must respond to him within the time limit set by him.
In the absence of a response, or if the recommendation has not been followed, the Defender of Rights may draw up a special report and make it public.
Online service
Defender of Rights