Garde champêtre

Many of these officers carry firearms (they commonly face poachers, many of whom are themselves armed) and other weapons.

Mayors decide which weapons to provide them with, but gardes champêtres can purchase, retain and carry a much wider range of weapons than the urban police (police municipale) are allowed.

Since then many formerly rural communes are heavily or totally urbanised and the number in post has been shrinking every year.

A draft law in 2014,[1] provided for the integration of the remaining gardes champêtres with the police municipale and the highway control officers (agents de surveillance de la voie publique) into a new police territoriale.

The only compulsory element of their dress is a metal badge or cloth patch bearing the words: "LA LOI" (the law), the name of the commune and that of the garde champêtre.