Sûreté

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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 2 Notable First Members: 3 Switzerland 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 Surete..

[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 modeled 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 decreased the crime rate in Paris by 40%.

[edit] Notable First Members:

• Eugène François Vidocq (founder and first chief)
• Sergeant Rioux
• Fouche- an immensely powerful man, as fearless as Vidocq himself
• Goury- a former swindler
• Ronquett- a cardshark
• Aube- an ex-forger
• Coco Lacour- a sneak thief

[edit] Switzerland

The Surete is the detective force of the Swiss Cantons.

[edit] See also

• Sûreté du Québec
• Inspector Clouseau

[edit] Notes

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