France's bill to give municipal police judicial powers stalls in the National Assembly

France's bill to widen municipal police powers has stalled since it passed the Senate on 10 February 2026 and the National Assembly's law committee on 29 April. Mayors could opt in to give municipal police and rural guards limited judicial-police powers: recording listed offences, issuing criminal fixed fines and consulting some judicial files, under the public prosecutor's supervision rather than the mayor's. The bill would also allow drones and number-plate readers in some cases. On 1 September the Prime Minister ruled out a September extraordinary session. Rapporteur Christophe Marion said he was "hardly optimistic" about a debate before the budget bill.

The design separates who employs local police from who directs their judicial work. That is one model for more local enforcement without locally controlled criminal justice. The open question is whether the bill reaches the Assembly floor before the budget and the 2027 presidential election crowd it out.