The
National Police () was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior, Public Security and Religious Affairs (MISPC, ). The country was divided into six
directions départementales. Police training was conducted at the national police school in
Cotonou. The had both military and police roles. Due to its military status, the gendarmerie answered to the Ministry of Defence. It was headquartered in
Porto-Novo. As a police force, it has administrative and judiciary police powers. It operated both in territorial units, responsible for defined areas, and mobile units. Overall, it had jurisdiction in nearly 90% of the country's territory. ==Other forces==