Paris Municipal Elections 2026: What do candidates' security plans say, and who stands for what?

Security stands front and center in Paris’s upcoming municipal campaign for the March 15 and 22, 2026 elections. From police presence and surveillance cameras to community outreach and staffing levels — here are the main candidates’ proposals. Who’s promising what? Here’s a quick overview.

Come March 2026, Parisians will head to the polls to elect their municipal representatives. On March 15 and 22, the municipal elections in Paris will take place under a new set of rules, featuring a fresh voting method: voters will need to cast two ballots — one for district councilors and another for Paris city councilors. This reform, aimed at providing clearer local representation, will play a crucial role in shaping the political landscape of the capital over the next six years.

Housing, Economy, Cleanliness, Education, Culture... These are all topics that the candidates in this municipal election will also need to address... Among the main concerns of Parisians, safety often ranks high. In Paris, safety directly impacts residents’ daily lives — including municipal police, public space tranquility, compliance with civil conduct, preventing petty crime, transport and school security, etc.

The City of Paris has several tools at its disposal that effectively shape local security:

Municipal Police: While its powers are limited by the state, the city can choose to strengthen the force, increase personnel, armament, and expand its duties.
Video Surveillance and Technical Devices: The municipality can invest in camera systems, emergency alert buttons, or collaborate with police prefecture to deploy advanced technologies.
Partnerships and Coordination: Working closely with the police prefecture, government agencies, neighborhood councils, and specialized community organizations.
Prevention Policy: Educational initiatives, mediation efforts, public lighting, and urban planning aimed at reducing risky behaviors.

Actions that directly affect Parisians, residents of Île-de-France, and passing tourists. If safety is a priority for you, Sortiraparis has compiled a list of proposals from the candidates running in the 2026 Municipal Elections in Paris. This way, you'll have all the information you need to make an informed decision when the time comes, at the ballot box.

[midroll]

Proposals Focused on Security for the 2026 Paris Municipal Elections

Please note that these proposals are regularly updated as programs are published and candidates are announced. In some cases, detailed measures may not yet be specified in publicly available sources; such omissions are duly noted.

Pierre-Yves Bournazel (Horizons – Supported by Renaissance)

Tripling the number of municipal police officers in Paris, increasing from 2,200 to 6,000 officers. (Source: CNEWS)
Equipping municipal police officers with firearms such as pistols and providing them with the necessary tools for their duties. (Source: CNEWS)
Ensuring municipal police are operational 24/7 through a dedicated phone line. (Source: CNEWS)
Expanding the responsibilities of municipal police to include recording offenses, issuing fines, and using automated systems like license plate reading. (Source: Le Parisien)
Creating a drone unit in collaboration with the police prefecture to monitor key areas and assist patrols. (Source: CNEWS)
Testing and deploying AI-powered video surveillance on the city's CCTV cameras. (Source: CNEWS)
Systematically installing surveillance cameras outside schools and collèges. (Source: Valeurs Actuelles)
Installing security buttons in schools connected directly to police stations. (Source: Valeurs Actuelles)
Providing priority access to social housing for newly recruited municipal police officers. (Source: CNEWS)
Ensuring municipal police are present nightly on the metro, alongside transit police, to combat violence, including sexual assaults. (Source: Europe1)
Establishing a canine unit dedicated to apprehending traffickers and destroying seized goods. (Source: Le Parisien)
Municipal police intervention in common areas of social housing to address nuisances and incivilities. (Source: Le Parisien)
Proposing targeted administrative closures of businesses used for money laundering from drug trafficking, with reallocation to quality shops, healthcare centers, or cultural venues. (Source: Europe 1)
Establishing a dedicated training academy for Parisian municipal police, focusing on initial and ongoing education. (Source: Official candidate website)
Creating a collaboration with the Ministries of Armed Forces and Interior to facilitate recruiting former military personnel, police officers, and gendarmes. (Source: Official candidate website)
Integrating the 215 agents from the Paris Inter-Bail Agencies Surveillance Group (GPIS) into the municipal police to form a unified force. (Source: Official candidate website)
Allowing municipal police access to CCTV systems in shared residential spaces within social housing complexes. (Source: Official candidate website)
Implementing a comprehensive lighting plan for public spaces, including smart lighting with motion detection. (Source: Official candidate website)
Expanding on-demand stops in night buses to enhance passenger safety. (Source: Official candidate website)
Creating joint patrol units of municipal and national police in certain sectors such as Champ-de-Mars, the Bois de Boulogne, and Vincennes. (Source: Official candidate website)

Blandine Chauvel (NPA)

As of February 16, 2026, there have yet to be any concrete proposals or measures specifically focused on security at the party's premises.

Sophia Chikirou (La France Insoumise - New Paris for the People)

Implement a municipal charter that strictly regulates police interventions, banning discriminatory practices or those resembling racial profiling, and ensuring accountability through traceability, staff training, and clear reporting and disciplinary mechanisms. (Source: official candidate's site)
Introduce mobile legal clinics for report filing and legal support services. (Source: official candidate's site)
Establish a demanding institutional dialogue with the State to secure guarantees that uphold citizens' rights. (Source: official candidate's site)
Create local outreach units that combine police, mediators, educators, and social workers within neighborhood centers. (Source: official candidate's site)
Increase the number of municipal police officers to approximately 3,500. (Source: official candidate's site)
Introduce additional ranks and promotion tiers within the municipal police, along with salary scale upgrades and increased bonuses.
Refuse to equip the municipal police with lethal weapons. (Source: official candidate's site)
Double the number of specialized educators by 2029 to strengthen community mediation and prevention efforts in neighborhoods. (Source: official candidate's site)
Negotiate with the police prefect to revise crowd control protocols, favoring de-escalation over repressive tactics. (Source: official candidate's site)

Rachida Dati (The Republicans/Modem/UDI)

Establish a force of 5,000 armed and trained municipal police officers dedicated to combating daily crime, doubling the current workforce. (Source: Official Candidate Website)
Maintain a visible police presence around the city 24/7 with these armed municipal officers. (Source: Official Candidate Website)
Deploy 8,000 surveillance cameras to strengthen street monitoring, especially near schools, middle schools, and sports facilities. (Source: Official Candidate Website)
Close the Champ-de-Mars at night with fencing, a move aimed at reducing assaults and illegal trade in the area. (Source: Le Parisien)
Create a dedicated horseback patrol to ensure safety at the Champ-de-Mars as well as in the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes. The comprehensive security plan for these green spaces also includes additional cameras and improved lighting. (Sources: Le Parisien and Le JDD)
Implement targeted measures to monitor and safeguard schools, including cameras and increased patrols. (Source: Official Candidate Website)
Broaden the powers of municipal police to include identity checks, access to national databases, addressing unruly behavior, and tackling petty crime. (Source: Le JDD)
Create municipal safety brigades in middle schools, staffed by civilians focused on preventing bullying and fights. (Source: Le JDD)
Establish a City Urban Supervision Center (CSU) in each district to centralize camera feeds and boost response times. (Source: Le Journal du Grand Paris)
Implement stricter penalties for intentional damages to city property, reinforcing the focus on safety and public order. (Source: Le Journal du Grand Paris)

Emmanuel Grégoire (Left-wing Union: PS – Socialist Party, PCF, Green Parties, Place publique, L’Après)

Increase the 24/7 presence of municipal police across all neighborhoods, building on the deployment of mobile police kiosks inspired by the Japanese "kôban" model, in every arrondissement and at the city’s most troubled hotspots. (Source: Le Parisien + official candidate site)
Announce the recruitment of an additional 1,000 municipal police officers, bringing the total staff to around 5,000. (Source: Le Parisien)
Enhance street lighting in certain districts to boost residents’ sense of security, with particular focus on ensuring women can move safely at all hours. (Source: Le Parisien)
Install emergency alert buttons in bus shelters and other security devices to facilitate incident reporting and improve safety. (Source: Le Parisien and official candidate site)
Expand video surveillance on sensitive sites by deploying up to 500 additional tactical cameras. (Source: Le Parisien)
Establish a dedicated "Specialized Sites Unit" to be operational in key strategic locations, such as the Champ de Mars, Montmartre, and the Rosa Parks neighborhood. (Source: Le Parisien)
Create specialized municipal police units, including:
- Anti-bad behavior patrols
- Mobile patrols
- Night shift brigades
- Equestrian units
- Specialized teams for complex sites
  (Source: official candidate site)

Prioritizing the fight against sexist and sexual violence in public spaces as a key focus of the municipal police, to make the city safer for all women. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
An improved street lighting plan developed with residents to enhance women's safety, especially at night in public areas. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
Creation of a network of "safe places" where individuals can seek help if they feel unwell or find themselves in a violent situation in public. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
Enhanced coordination between the municipal police, social workers, and healthcare professionals to address complex situations such as drug issues and psychiatric wandering—combining prevention, support, and targeted enforcement. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
Clear and demanding partnership with the State and the police prefecture to overcome administrative hurdles that limit municipal police actions and to ensure the national police’s active involvement in combating crime and drug trafficking. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
Establishment of bicycle patrol units in the municipal police dedicated to addressing traffic violations. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
Implementation of a road safety plan aiming for “zero deaths, zero serious injuries,” including:
- Installation of new speed cameras on accident-prone roads,
- Expansion of automated traffic enforcement. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
Targeted training for the municipal police on discrimination and sexism, along with a structured plan to combat street harassment beyond political rhetoric. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
Increased police presence at public events—festivals and large gatherings—to complement the ongoing 24/7 deployment. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
Deployment of mediators specialized in prevention at each school and sports facility to address issues like fights, violence, drugs, and harassment. (Source: Official candidate’s site)
Explicit mention of a "better-equipped" municipal police, emphasizing non-lethal equipment. (Source: Official candidate’s site)

Sarah Knafo (Reconquête)

Doubling the size of the municipal police force to reach 8,000 officers.
Equipping the municipal police with firearms.
Implementing a policy of systematic arrests and issuing fines for crimes within municipal jurisdiction.
Deploying artificial intelligence technologies for analyzing video surveillance footage.
Creating a mounted municipal patrol unit on horseback.
Establishing a municipal canine unit.
Enhancing the visible presence of police in neighborhoods identified as sensitive or lawless zones.
Reclaiming major tourist areas (Champ de Mars, Trocadéro, Montmartre) through continuous patrols.
Increasing security at Parisian train stations.
Installing smart streetlights equipped with anti-aggression sensors.
Maintaining continuous nighttime public lighting with adjustable brightness.
Allowing the lighting of shop windows to stay on overnight.
Boosting police presence on public transportation, in coordination with regional authorities.
Closing down illegal occupations of municipal properties.
Cutting municipal funding to organizations housing illegal migrants.
Enforcing strict municipal controls over procedures for residence permits, short-stay visas, and family reunification, within the mayor's authority.

(Source: official candidate's website)

Thierry Mariani (National Rally - UDR)

Increase the staffing levels of the municipal police and step up patrols to ensure 24/7 presence across the capital. (Source: official candidate website)
Establish specialized units to tackle different types of insecurity: anti-boarding-up, drug-related crimes, illegal camps, transportation issues, city traffic, Rapid Action Brigade (BAR), and district police. (Source: official candidate website)
Implement a zero-tolerance policy against traffics, nuisances, and threats in public spaces. (Source: official candidate website)
Reject mass immigration, dismantle illegal settlements, evictions, and requisitions for undocumented migrants. (Source: official candidate website)
Double the size of the municipal police force and arm officers to prevent violence, thefts, and assaults, including on public transport. (Source: official candidate website). According to the full program, approximately 8,350 officers have been planned.
Tripling the surveillance camera network to nearly 15,000 cameras throughout the city to bolster public area monitoring. (Source: candidate’s program)
Maintain a heightened and continuous police presence in hotspots, especially around metro, tram, and bus stations, in parks like Boulogne and Vincennes, and in nightlife districts to prevent fights and assaults. (Source: candidate’s program)
Create a rapid-response anti-boarding-up unit capable of intervening within 24 to 48 hours with a dedicated hotline to address security threats swiftly. (Source: candidate’s program)
Abolish low-threshold drug consumption rooms and establish a single, centralized treatment center for addiction, in conjunction with anti-trafficking measures. (Source: candidate’s program)
Develop Priority Safety Zones (ZSPs) equipped with municipal police stations and mobile units for community-based interventions. (Source: candidate’s program)
Expand the powers and responsibilities of the municipal police, especially in prevention and local enforcement. (Source: candidate’s program)
Install emergency alert buttons in schools, nurseries, and shops to quickly notify municipal police or district stations. (Source: candidate’s program)
Implement a "faulty payer" policy, making offenders financially responsible for damages caused to public property. (Source: candidate’s program)
Abolish municipal benefits for families with members convicted of crimes and consider evictions from social housing in case of repeat offenses. (Source: candidate’s program)
Strengthen security controls in businesses at risk of laundering drug money and crack down on vandalism and graffiti, including anti-tagging measures. (Source: candidate’s program)

Marielle Saulnier (Worker’s Struggle)

No concrete proposals or measures specifically dedicated to site security have been posted on the candidate's official website as of February 16, 2026.

All that's left is to go through these suggestions for the upcoming municipal elections!

To help you better understand the key issues concerning Paris's city management ahead of the upcoming municipal elections, we've put together a comprehensive overview by topic. You can find all these themes summarized below!

2026 Paris Municipal Elections: Candidate Program Proposals by Theme
The municipal elections are just around the corner, and you're eager to learn more about the candidates’ platforms for the Paris city hall? We've got you covered. Explore their proposals by theme—security, housing, environment, education, culture—and see where each candidate stands! [Read more]