Préfet
|
Uniforme hat of a French préfet |
In
France and many other French-speaking countries, a
préfet (
English:
prefect) is the State's representative in a
département or
région (in the later case, he is called a
préfet de région). Sub-prefects (
sous-préfets) are responsible for the sub-districts (
arrondissements) into which
départements are divided. The office of a prefect is known as a
préfecture, that of a sub-prefect as a
sous-préfecture.
The prefect of a
région is also responsible for the
département which houses his
préfecture; similarly, the prefect of a
département is also responsible for the
arrondissement in which his
préfecture is situated.
Prefects operate under the
Minister of the Interior. Their main missions include.
* representing the state to local governments;
* security
** the coordination of
police and
gendarmerie forces;
** handling major
crises;
** emergency
defence procedures;
* safety
** the decision to evacuate zones facing natural disasters; the organization of relief operations;
* responsibility for official documents, such as
** the production of identity documents, including
identity cards and
passports;
** the issuing of
driving licences, and their administrative withdrawal in case of certain offenses;
** the application of
immigration rules;
* ensuring respect for
legality: officials working for the prefect verify the legality of decisions made by local governments and submit doubtful cases to
administrative courts or to financial auditing courts.
Prefects may issue administrative orders (
arrêtés) in areas falling within the competency of the national government, including general safety. For instance, they may prohibit the use of certain roads without special
tyres in times of
snow. The prohibition on smoking or leaving the motor running while filling the fuel tank of a motor vehicle is another example of a matter typically decided by prefectoral
arrêté.
On official occasions, prefects wear a
uniform.
* In
New Caledonia and
French Polynesia, the roles of the prefect, with certain differences in status, are fulfilled by a high commissioner (
haut commissaire); in
Wallis and Futuna, by a superior administrator (
administrateur supérieur).
* The
French Southern Territories used to be run by a superior administrator, but since 2004 are run by a préfet. The préfet, however, is not based in the territories, but on
Réunion Island.
*
Paris, which is itself a
département, and the three
départements surrounding it (the
petite couronne, or "little crown") are an exception. These four
départements are governed by a single
préfecture for law enforcement and security purposes — the
Préfecture de police (PP) — and the law enforcement powers exercised in other French cities and towns by the
mayor here belong to the
préfet de police.
* The authority of the State over the sea is exerced by the
Préfet Maritime of the relevant region.
*
Prefect*
Préfecture
