Maritime police chief

The maritime police chief is the representative of the French State at sea. This function is entrusted to a general officer of navy.

The maritime police chief, a civil authority

Delegated government , he is the direct representative of the Prime Minister. Invested of general policing powers, it has authority in all the fields where the action of the State is at sea exerted, in particular:

defense of the rights and national interests, particularly in the zones under sovereignty or French jurisdiction (territorial Sea, ZEE);
maintenance of law and order;
First Aid and Rescue maritime;
environmental protection;
fight against the illicit activities at sea (illegal fishing, opiate traffic, clandestine migration, piracy…)

It coordinates the action at sea administrations and the implementation of their means (marine, maritime businesses, customs, gendarmerie…)

A person, but two functions quite distinct

The general officer of navy which exerts the functions of maritime police chief also exerts the functions of commander of maritime zone and maritime commander of area. As a commander of maritime zone and under the authority of the Chief of staff of the armies (CEMA), operational commander, it has, normally, to ensure the operational control of the forces deployed in his zone of competence, except if another general officer were appointed for this purpose.

These military functions are quite distinct from the functions of maritime police chief, for whom it concerns the Prime Minister, and not of the Minister for defense.

Police port authorities

There exist three Préfecture S maritime based:

with Brest , for the Atlantic ;
with Cherbourg-Octeville , for the Handle and the the North Sea;
with Toulon , for the the Mediterranean.

Overseas

Overseas , the function of delegated Government for the Action of the State at sea exerted in metropolis by the maritime police chief is reserved for the Préfet in DOM (the Antilles, Guyana, the Meeting) and for the deputy High-Commissioner of the government in the TOM.

He is assisted in this function by a commander of maritime zone (COMAR), senior officer of navy (Captain).

See too

List of the maritime police chiefs of Cherbourg
List of the maritime police chiefs of Brest
List of the maritime police chiefs of Toulon

External bonds

Police port authority of the Atlantic
Police port authority of the Mediterranean
Police port authority of the English Channel and the North Sea

Random links: