Prefect of Paris

There are not one, but two prefects of Paris : on the one hand the prefect of police, on the other hand the Prefect of department, which is also Regional prefect. The exceptional strategic nature of Paris, main city of the country, political capital, economic capital, face that the France wishes to show in the world, always justified the introduction of administrative relations particular with the central State.

Overall picture

During most of 19th and 20th centuries, the State managed the town of Paris directly. In addition to the strategic importance of Paris, Haussmann estimated in its Mémoires that, in a city where so many inhabitants come from the most varied areas, sociological diversity and geographical mobility prevented the formation of a true common spirit without which the election of a municipal council hardly had direction. But one can think that it is especially the fear of the revolution which justifies this setting under supervision of the capital: the central capacity indeed fears a municipal capacity too extremely, which, in insurrectionary period, and whatever the name which it gives itself, risk to escape its authority. The episode of the Commune of Paris in 1871 could only confirm these fears.

Thus the Parisian police force is under authority of the State since Colbert and Gabriel Nicolas of Reynie and the city itself of 1800 to 1977 (except for two interludes in 1848 and 1870-1871) was placed under the authority of the representatives of the State, namely the prefect of police on the one hand, the prefect of department on the other hand (the prefect of department was called prefect of the the Seine until in 1968, and prefect of Paris since). There existed certainly a “council of department”, become Municipal council in 1834, but it is only under the III {{E}} République that this elected council started to form an effective countervailing power with that of the prefect of the Seine.

It is only into 1977 that Paris found an elected mayor, a representative of full exercise, chief of the municipal executive. Moreover, as Paris is all at the same time a city and a department, the mayor of Paris fills also the president's functions of the general advice. The representatives of the State continue however to exert part of the capacities which concern elsewhere the town hall or the general advice. The presence even of the services of the State withdraws portions of territory from the control of the city: thus the district of the ministries for the VII {{E}} district, classified in Operation of national interest, concerns directly the State for the questions of town planning.

The prefect of department

The institution of a prefecture in Paris goes up at the time Roman, when the praefectus urbis represented the capacity of the State with Lutèce. However it is Napoleon I {{er}} which created the modern prefects, in Paris as in the remainder of France.

Until 1977, the prefect of the department is the Master of the Parisian administration. He profits from the confidence of the central capacity: to the four great modes which followed one another of 1800 to 1870 corresponded four large prefects of the Seine. Thus Frochot directs borings of way of Napoleon, Chabrol controls the great operations of allotment of the Restoration, Rambuteau bores the first great new way of the center of Paris and especially Haussmann imposes in an almost medieval city the roadway system and the equipment of town of avant-garde.

Today, the prefect of Paris exerts competences closer to those of the others prefects of department. He has in more the control of the Departmental management of the equipment, manages the housing policy and ensures the maintenance of the rules of Urbanisme and protection of the sites.

List prefects of the department of Paris

Michel Lalande current Delegated chief of police of the department of Paris

The regional prefect

The prefect of Ile-de-France has same competences as the others regional prefects on the territory of which it with the load. Like they, he is also prefect of the department containing the chief town of the area, i.e. Paris.

It has however additional capacities town planning management of the water resources. It also takes part in the development of the Information system strategic plan of the area Île-de-France (SDRIF).

The first prefect of the Île-de-France area was Paul Delouvrier, before acting general with the district of the area of Paris since 1961: he published for this reason and the town planning master development plan of the area of Paris (SDAURP), ancestor of SDRIF. He directed the modernization of Paris and the construction of the new cities.

A stopped of the precise August 25th 1966 that the prefect of the Île-de-France area carries the behavior of the prefects, but the visor of its cap is decorated over the entire length with its arc of a garland of sheets of oak.

List regional prefects IDF

Pierre Mutz, current Prefect of the Area Ile-de-France

The prefect of police of Paris

See too

List of the prefects of the Seine
List of the mayors of Paris
Police headquarter of Paris
the site of the police headquarter
the site of the prefecture of Ile-de-France

Random links: