Résumé
This paper reviews some recent trends that have had an impact on police organizations and identifies key issues that impact their practice and their particular approach to prevention and proximity. The major experiments of the 70’s and 80’s knew a serious blow of interruption under the pressure combined by the politicization of the topic of the insecurity and more recently the phenomena of terrorism. Also, the increase of the demand on the police services came along with a complexification of the treated phenomena. However, expectations of transparency and accountability, including through the development of performance indicators and a better relationship with the people they serve, remain strong and direct current reorganization. In this context, it must rethink the role of the preventive police.