The politics of Saint Pierre and Miquelon take place in the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic French overseas collectivity, whereby the President of the Territorial Council is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government.
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with search and rescue without law enforcement authority. In most countries, a typical coast guard's functions are distinct from those of the navy and the transit police, while in certain countries they have similarities to both.
The National Police, formerly known as the Sûreté nationale, is one of two national police forces of France, the other being the National Gendarmerie. The National Police is the country's main civil law enforcement agency, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns. By contrast, the National Gendarmerie has primary jurisdiction in smaller towns, as well as in rural and border areas. The National Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior and has about 145,200 employees. Young French citizens can fulfill their mandatory service in the police force.
Law enforcement in France has a long history dating back to AD 570 when night watch systems were commonplace. Policing is centralized at the national level. Recently, legislation has allowed local governments to hire their own police officers which are called the "police municipale".
The Coast Guard Administration of the Ocean Affairs Council, also known as the Taiwan Coast Guard or R.O.C. Coast Guard, is charged with maintaining law and order, protecting the resources of the territorial waters of the Republic of China (Taiwan), which surrounds Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu Islands, Green Island, Orchid Island, Pratas Island (Tungsha/Dongsha), and Nansha Islands as well as providing a first line of defense along coastal areas against smugglers and illegal immigrants. The CGA is considered a civilian law enforcement agency under the administration of the Ocean Affairs Council of the Executive Yuan, though during emergencies it may be incorporated as part of the Republic of China Armed Forces.
The Maritime Gendarmerie is a component of the French National Gendarmerie under operational control of the chief of staff of the French Navy. It employs 1,157 personnel and operates around thirty patrol boats and high-speed motorboats distributed on the littoral waterways of France. Like their land-based colleagues the Gendarmes Maritime are military personnel carry out policing operations in addition to their primary role as a coast guard service. They also carry out provost duties within the French Navy.
A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard and rescue service duties.
Air and Marine Operations (AMO) is a federal law enforcement component within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). AMO's mission is to protect the American people and nation's critical infrastructure through the coordinated use of air and marine assets to detect, interdict and prevent acts of terrorism and the unlawful movement of people, illegal drugs, and other contraband toward or across the borders of the United States. Air and Marine Operations Agents and Officers are endowed with the authority to enforce Title 8 and Title 19 (Customs) of the United States Code in addition to the general law enforcement powers bestowed upon federal law enforcement agents.
The National Gendarmerie is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior, with additional duties from the Ministry of Armed Forces. Its responsibilities include policing smaller towns, suburbs and rural areas, along with special subdivisions like the GSPR. By contrast, the National Police is a civilian law enforcement agency that is in charge of policing cities and larger towns. Because of its military status, the Gendarmerie also fulfills a range of military and defence missions, including having a cybercrime division. The Gendarmerie has a strength of around 102,269 people.
In France, the general duty of coordinating maritime security and survey activities is assumed by seven Centres Régionaux Opérationnels de Surveillance et de Sauvetage. The polyvalence of these centers characterizes this French model. The CROSS assumes up to four functional missions in maritime territory international conventions. The CROSS practice their activities under the operational authority of the Maritime Prefects in mainland France and Government Representatives for State Action at Sea in Overseas Departments and Territories.
A Yachtmaster qualification is a certificate of competence of the ability to handle either a sailing boat or motor boat in certain prescribed conditions. Three different titles are specified; Yachtmaster Coastal, Yachtmaster Offshore, and Yachtmaster Ocean which specify the level of competence required and the area of operation certified.
The Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes, commonly known as les douanes (Customs), is the customs service of the French Republic. It is responsible for levying indirect taxes, preventing smuggling, surveilling borders and investigating counterfeit money. The agency acts as a coast guard, border guard, sea rescue organisation, and customs service. In addition, since 1995, the agency has replaced the Border Police units of the National Police in carrying out immigration control at smaller border checkpoints, in particular at maritime borders and regional airports.
The Direction Nationale du Renseignement et des Enquêtes Douanières (DNRED) is a French intelligence agency founded on 1 March 1988. DNRED's mission is to gather, centralise, process and disseminate information of customs origin. It fights large international smuggling networks by implementing specialised investigative techniques. It carries out investigations at the national or international level, taking into account private businesses. In 2009, the DNRED created a new unit, called "Cyberdouane", which role is to fight against cyber trafficking, such as illegal online gambling, money-laundering with online Casinos, the sale of illegal products online.
Operation Sophia, formally European Union Naval Force Mediterranean, was a military operation of the European Union that was established as a consequence of the April 2015 Libya migrant shipwrecks with the aim of neutralising established refugee smuggling routes in the Mediterranean. The operational headquarters was located in Rome. The EU mandate for the operation ended on March 31, 2020. Operation Irini is the successor operation.
The Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d'information is a French service created on 7 July 2009 with responsibility for computer security.
Louise Michel is the name of the former French patrol boat Suroît, originally built for the Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes. It was refitted in 2020 to patrol rescue zones in the Mediterranean Sea.
The École nationale de la sécurité et de l'administration de la mer, is a Grande Ecole of the French Ministry of the Sea. It trains civil and military officers for the Directorate general for Maritime affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture. This school is currently located in Le Havre, within the campus of the French Maritime Academy “École nationale supérieure maritime”, since September 2021 when it moved from the former site in Nantes.
The long-distance hiking trail 34 is a French coastal path that starts from Mont-Saint-Michel (Manche) and ends in Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique). It runs along almost the entire coast of the Brittany region from Mont Saint-Michel and, beyond the limit between Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique, to the mouth of the Loire. It stretches over 1,700 kilometres (1,100 mi). It largely follows former customs paths. These paths, gradually abandoned during the first half of the 20th century, allowed customs officers to patrol the coast from their guardhouses, located at key observation points on the Brittany coast.
The Directorate general for Maritime affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA)(La direction générale des affaires maritimes, de la pêche et de l'aguaculture) is a French executive agency created in 2022. It comes under the authority of the State Secretariat for the Sea and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty. The DGAMPA merges the two main directorates dealing with the maritime sector at the central level of the government, namely the Directorate of maritime affairs (DAM) and the Directorate of maritime fisheries and aquaculture (DPMA), but also the staff of the captaincies of the state ports. Éric Banel was appointed first Director General of Maritime Affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture by the Council of Ministers.
