Law enforcement in Monaco

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Law enforcement in Monaco is provided by an armed national police force consisting of 515 men and women.[1] With 515 police officers for 35,000 people in 1.98 km², Monaco has the largest police force and police presence in the world on both a per-capita and per-area basis. Its police includes a specialist unit which operates patrol and surveillance boats. There is also a militarized bodyguard unit for the Prince and his palace called the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince which numbers exactly 116 officers and men, and is equipped with modern weapons including M16 rifles and 9mm pistols,[2][3] and an armed and well-trained Corps des Sapeurs-Pompiers, which provides an extensive civil defense service in support of law enforcement, in addition to its fire and rescue services. A member of INTERPOL,[3] the law enforcement agencies of Monaco enjoy the world's lowest crime rates - INTERPOL statistics state that for murder, the rate in 2001 was 3.33 per 100,000 population for Monaco (1 murder); between 1996 and 2001. Monaco also had significant decreases in burglary and violent crime, this was noted by a smaller number of domestic burglary which took place in the early 2000s and continued until 2010, where it has since leveled off.[4]

Organization

The Monaco police force comes under the administration of the Direction of Public Safety which was created on June 23, 1902[5] under the Department of the Interior.[6]

The police force itself consists of several divisions each with several departments.

  • The Criminal Police Division has three main departments, Criminal Investigations, Criminal Identity (coordinating with INTERPOL) and Resources.
  • The Urban Police Division coordinates the activities of the uniformed police officers and also employs a number of units, including a General Police Brigade, Specialized Intervention Unit, Operational Command Centre and a Secretariat to the Police Court.[6]
  • The Administrative Police Division is responsible for the movement of foreign nationals through Monaco's borders, while the Division of the Administration and the Formation handles administration matters for the police force.
  • The Maritime and Airport Police Divisions police the seas and skies of Monaco. The latter divisions both employ departments pertaining to air and sea rescue, water surveillance and the coordination of trans-border police operations with Monaco's neighbours.[6] The Division of the Maritime and Airport Police (DPMA) itself was created on 16 August 1960 when security issues in the air and on the water were transferred to the control of the Director of Public Safety, and since 1961 the division has grown to consist of 8 officers and 27 civil servants.[7] The Maritime Section controls and registers passengers in transit, is in charge of national waters surveillance, including submarine natural resources, and sea-rescue. The Trans-border and Heliport Control Section oversees border police missions.

They currently use 3 patrol boats which they share with both branches of the Military.

Notes

  1. ↑ Monaco Government [1] retrieved on October 5, 2007
  2. ↑ Monaco Government [2] retrieved on October 5, 2007
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 INTERPOL Member states list retrieved on May 18, 2007
  4. ↑ Crime and Society article retrieved on May 18, 2007
  5. ↑ Monaco Government page retrieved on May 18, 2007
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 POLIS.OCSE Police Online Profiles page retrieved on May 18, 2007
  7. ↑ Monaco Government Maritime and Airport Police page retrieved on May 18, 2007
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