A () is the combination of a

forest ranger A ranger, park ranger, park warden, field ranger, or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands and protected areas – private, national, state, provincial, or local parks. Their duties include (but are not limi ...

game warden A conservation officer is a law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and the environment. A conservation officer may also be referred to as an environmental technician/technologist, game warden, park ranger, forest watcher, forest guar ...

and code enforcement officer in certain rural communes in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Organization

Their job is to report to the local

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

. 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 can purchase, retain and carry a much wider range of weapons than the urban police are allowed. They are not under the supervision of the

Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

but under the mayor's, their employer.

History and future development

From 1791 to 1958 it was compulsory for each rural commune to employ a . 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, provided for the integration of the remaining with the and the highway control officers () into a new .

Uniforms and rank insignia

Their uniforms are not regulated and are at the mayor's discretion; they are traditionally green. 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 . They cannot legally wear the dress attributed to the (

navy blue Navy blue is a dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color name, ...

with a

light blue Light blue is a color or range of colors, typically a lightened shade with a hue between cyan and blue. The first use of "light blue" as a color term in English language, English is in the year 1915. In Russian and some other languages, there ...

trimming).

References

External links

Website of the federation of French gardes champêtres
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garde champetre Law enforcement agencies of France

Organization

History and future development

Uniforms and rank insignia

See also

References

External links