In France we also have two "police" forces: the "gendarmerie" and the "police nationale".
You may know "gendarmerie" from the Louis de Funes movies (Le gendarme de St Tropez, ...) - this is a military unit that mostly works in the countryside.
The "police nationale" is an entity attached to the ministry of interior and does more or less the same things, but more in the cities.
There is a history of hatred between these organizations - yes, this is how stupid we are. They share competencies (the most well known being the elite units - GIGN and RAID)
When you want to call the police, you dial 17 and you get the right one, depending on where you are.
If you have a health problem, you call the 18 (firemen), or the 15 (ambulance).
If there is a fire, you call the 18.
This is why having a single 112 number is easier to teach to children and tourists.
You may know "gendarmerie" from the Louis de Funes movies (Le gendarme de St Tropez, ...) - this is a military unit that mostly works in the countryside.
The "police nationale" is an entity attached to the ministry of interior and does more or less the same things, but more in the cities.
There is a history of hatred between these organizations - yes, this is how stupid we are. They share competencies (the most well known being the elite units - GIGN and RAID)
When you want to call the police, you dial 17 and you get the right one, depending on where you are.
If you have a health problem, you call the 18 (firemen), or the 15 (ambulance).
If there is a fire, you call the 18.
This is why having a single 112 number is easier to teach to children and tourists.