Law enforcement in Burkina Faso

Like many other countries with a French colonial heritage, law enforcement in Burkina Faso is a responsibility primarily shared by the gendarmerie and the police.

[citation needed] Following the introduction of the 2003 law on public security, Burkina Faso has since 2005 adopted a community policing approach.

[citation needed] The National Police, or Police nationale du Burkina Faso, is responsible for the maintaining public peace, supporting the security of the State and institutions, protecting people and property, collecting information on behalf of the government, and maintaining links with foreign law enforcement bodies.

Unlike Commonwealth countries or the USA, individual officers may not all hold judicial powers.

A municipal police had first been created in 1977, but was abolished 1 January 1984 in the early days of the Thomas Sankara revolution.

Because the unit answers directly to the president's Chief of Staff, it is unaccountable to the minister of defense.