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Prefect calls headlight flashing a security risk: when is it legal (and when not) in France?
‘Headlight flashing allows wanted individuals to avoid the police’
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French police can check your home (and elderly relatives) when you are away
Here is how to sign up for the service, as well as a special check for elderly people. Plus, advice on how to avoid ‘fake police’ scams
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British tourist claims rape by Paris taxi driver: Police search suspect
An investigation into the alleged assault has now been opened
Is a French gendarme same as an agent de police?
What is the difference between a gendarme and an agent de police ? D.F.

The Gendarmerie and Police Nationale have broadly similar roles but gendarmes work at a caserne (barracks) and are often in rural areas and suburbs, whereas a police station (commissariat) is more often found in cities.
Gendarmes are part of the military and are under the joint responsibility of the Interior and Defence Ministries. They are soldiers and their name comes from gens d’armes, “armed people”. The Police Nationale falls under the Interior Ministry and its officers are fonctionnaires.
There are also local police municipale forces under the mairie’s responsibility.
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