Police ID numbers must be more visible on duty, rules French court

France’s highest administrative court, the Conseil d’Etat, has ordered the Interior Ministry to ensure that police and gendarmerie officers wear their identification number clearly when on duty.

Police and gendarmerie ID numbers are known as the RIO number (référentiel des identités et de l'organisation) and are seven digits long. They are shown on a small cloth badge sewn to the uniform or armband, which allows the officer to be identified.

In its ruling on Wednesday, October 11, the court said: "The Interior Ministry has not taken the appropriate measures on this.

“[The ministry] must take all necessary measures to ensure that police and gendarmerie officers - including when the usual location of their registration number is covered by personal protective equipment - comply with the obligation to wear the identification number clearly visible."

Why did the ruling take place?

It has been mandatory for police officers to wear RIO identification numbers in France since January 2014.

However a number of French associations have argued that this has not been enforced, and referred the matter to the Conseil d’Etat in autumn 2022.

Human rights association la Ligue des droits de l'Homme, The International Federation of ACATs (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture), the Syndicat de la Magistrature and the Syndicat des avocats complained to the high court, after the Interior Ministry refused - they claim - to grant their requests to make the RIO number more legible and worn more consistently.

They argued that the obligation for police to display this identification number was not being respected in practice.

What does the ruling mean?

As a result of the Conseil d’Etat ruling, the RIO number will now have to be enlarged so that it is sufficiently legible, in particular when the police intervene during rallies and demonstrations.

The aim is “to improve trust between the security forces and the population and to ensure, in the interest of all, the identification of officers”, said the Conseil d’Etat.

“The regulations in force require police officers and gendarmes to wear, except in special cases justified by their missions, an individual identification number visible on their uniform,” it said.

The Interior Ministry has 12 months to comply with the decision.

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