Public Force

APublic Forceis a force which has a legitimate and legalised use of physical force in order to serve the public interests.

The term is broad and loosely defined. Public force could be used to refer to eitherpoliceormilitary forces.

Original use of the term

The first use of the concept of apublic force,in FrenchForce Publique,is in theDeclaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizenof 1789.

Article XIII- For the maintenance of the public force and for the expenditures of administration, a common contribution is indispensable; it must be equally distributed between all the citizens, by reason of their faculties [i.e., ability to pay].

The declaration sought to regulate the relationship between the citizen and the legitimate use of violence. In contrast to similar declarations of rights fromAnglo-Saxoncountries, the emphasis is on the citizen's duty to contribute to the existence of such a force, rather than on thecitizen's rightsvis-a-vis such a force.

Further use of the term

The concept was also used in other countries, e.g. in Thomas Jefferson'sSixth State of the Union Address.

Force Publiquewas the title of the colonial army and gendarmerie of theCongo Free StateandBelgian Congofrom 1885-1960 (see:Public Force (Congo)).

The term has been used as a designation for police or military forces in other countries, e.g.PanamaandCosta Rica,and is commonly used as a conceptual term in several countries, e.g.FranceandMorocco.