Saint-Denis's socialist mayor has created France's most aggressive municipal police, sometimes exceeding public tranquility duties. Three months before the 2026 municipal elections, this force represents a key security issue. Armed agents patrol and actively intervene in commercial streets.
In Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, the municipal police is experiencing a comprehensive buildup ahead of the 2026 municipal elections. The socialist mayor has equipped the town with the country's most aggressive force, often going beyond mere public tranquility maintenance.
Armed with 9mm pistols, telescopic batons, and dark tactical vests, municipal agents patrol in groups. Their recently created Groupe de Sécurisation et de Proximité (GSP) resembles national police proximity security groups. During a December patrol in the Gabriel-Péri commercial street, three agents – Rémy, 38, former Paris policeman; Rudy, 42, ex-national police officer; and Mike, 28, former military – confiscated illegal cigarette packs, stopped electric scooters in the pedestrian zone, and moved homeless individuals drinking alcohol on old scooters.
This development fits a national context where municipal police number 28,161 agents in 2023, up 45% since 2012, making them the third security force after national police (151,000) and gendarmerie (98,000). Approaching the March 2026 elections, armament and missions divide opinions, especially on the left.
The government, through Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, is preparing a bill to expand prerogatives: five-year drone experimentation and extended judicial competence for nine offenses, such as driving without a license or sexist outrages. The law aims for accelerated passage before the vote, after one reading per chamber.
Saint-Denis's dynamics highlight tensions between local security and national coordination, with municipal budgets increasingly invested in these forces.
