Contempt of Agent

Verified 30 March 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

For example, you are a police officer, bus driver, nurse, teacher and you have been subjected to words or gestures that violate your dignity or the respect due to your duties? It could be contempt of agent. If you are a victim of such offense, you can deposit complaint. If the contempt took place on the internet, you can make a reporting even if you only witness it. We present you the information to know.

Contempt of agent is a malicious act (words, gestures, sending an object, etc.) in connection with the mission of a public official and who undermines his dignity or respect for the office he holds.

Contempt of an officer occurs in a number of ways:

  • Insulting, humiliating, contemptuous words, etc.
  • Body actions, facial expressions or attitudes that clearly express the contempt or anger of the perpetrator for the person to whom they are directed (for example, following a police officer). SNCF: titleContent for several hours)
  • Verbal threats
  • Images or writings not made public (e.g. sending insulting, threatening, dishonorable images or writings by letter, SMS or email)
  • Sending any objects (for example, food projected on the mayor of a commune).

For contempt of agent to be upheld, it is necessary that the following 3 conditions are completed:

  • The perpetrator must have knowledge you are a public authority depositary or entrusted with a public service mission
  • The perpetrator must address directly to you or to have his words reported to you
  • The perpetrator must be conscious that the act committed by him violates your dignity of dignity or respect due to your office.

Example :

An individual is controlled by police officers on the street. While one of the officers checks his papers, the individual turns to the other police officer and says, “You will tell your colleague that he is totally incompetent and that he is abusing his uniform.” Contempt can be held because the individual knows that the person he is contempting is a police officer and that, even if the comments are not directly addressed to him, they will be reported to him. Finally, by making such statements, the individual knows that he is violating the dignity of this officer.

Warning  

Contempt of agent should not be confused with others infringements such as physical violence, the defamation or the insult. Physical abuse is withheld if a blow has been struck. Insult and defamation do not require the words to be directly addressed to you.

This infringement shall be constituted if the offense is committed against a public official or an official entrusted with a public service mission.

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Depositary agent of public authority

A public official is a person who has the power to impose sanctions and coercion and who may use them in the performance of the functions entrusted to him by the State.

Several bodies of public officials are considered as depositories of public authority, including:

  • Municipal or national police officers
  • Highway Surveillance Officers
  • Gendarmes
  • Military
  • Magistrates
  • Customs officers
  • Prison officials (e.g. prison guards)
  • Inspectors of Public Finance
  • Labor Inspectors
  • Professional firefighter, volunteer firefighter and marine firefighter.

Agent with a public service mission

An official entrusted with a public service mission is a person who performs, voluntarily or at the request of the public authorities, a service of general interest.

Among the officials entrusted with a public service mission are the following:

  • Teachers
  • Health workers (medical staff, pharmacists, home health providers, etc.)
  • Public transport agents (e.g. employees of public transport companies such as SNCF: titleContent or the RATP: titleContent)
  • Local government agents (town hall employees, France services agents, etc.)
  • Registrars
  • Judicial agents.

Contempt of an officer can be committed in everyday settings (e.g. on the street, in a police station, on a train, etc.) or on the internet.

If you are a victim or witness of contempt of an officer and the acts were committed on the Internet, you can make a reporting to law enforcement since PHAROS: titleContent :

Report illegal internet content (internet-reporting: Pharos)

Reminder

Concerning offensive images or writings, the offense of contempt of agent may only be upheld if they have not been made public (example: a written message sent to the private messaging service of a social network, a video sent to your email address).

If the teams of PHAROS: titleContent consider that the content is unlawful, the report is forwarded to the competent authorities (e.g. investigation services of the national police or the national gendarmerie). An investigation may be conducted under the authority of public prosecutor.

In addition, police and gendarmes can contact the host of the site or of the platform and ask him to remove the offensive content.

Please note

There is no reporting mechanism for contempt of staff in everyday settings. If you wish to denounce these facts, you must file complaint.

If you consider yourself a victim of contempt of agent, you can file a complaint against the perpetrator (or against X, if you do not know his identity).

You can also you become a civil party to obtain damages and interest.

Your complaint must be filed within 6 years from the commission of the facts.

To file a complaint, you can go to the police station or gendarmerie of your choice. You also have the option to write to public prosecutor.

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On site

To file a complaint, you have to go to the police station or to the gendarmerie brigade of your choice.

Who shall I contact

Police or gendarmerie services are obliged to register your complaint if you are a victim of a infringement.

When filing a complaint, you are received and heard by a police officer or gendarme. At the end of this interview, you receive a receipt and a copy of your complaint if you request it.

The filing of a complaint leads to a police investigation that may lead to the conviction of the offender.

Please note

You can request assistance from a lawyer. This professional may be present from the filing of the complaint until the possible judgment of the author of the facts by the correctional court.

Who shall I contact

By post

You can file a complaint with the public prosecutor.

To do this, you must send a letter to court of the place of the offense or of the domicile of the offender.

Your mail should include the following:

  • Civil status information (your first and last names, etc.) and your full contact details (address and telephone number)
  • Detailed account of the facts, date and place of the offense
  • Name of the alleged perpetrator if you know him (otherwise, the complaint will be filed against X)
  • Name and address of any witnesses to the offense
  • Description and provisional or definitive estimate of injury
  • Evidence documents (e.g. medical certificates, work stoppages, miscellaneous invoices, findings, etc.)
  • Possible will to constitute you civil party.

You can use the following mail template:

File a complaint with the public prosecutor

You can send your complaint by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, by simple letter or by followed letter.

A receipt is given to you as soon as the public prosecutor's office has registered your complaint.

The filing of a complaint leads to an investigation that may lead to the conviction of the offender.

If you constitute yourself civil party, you can get damages and interest.

Please note

You can request assistance from a lawyer. This professional may be present from the filing of the complaint until the possible judgment of the author of the facts by the correctional court.

Who shall I contact

Please note

Since contempt of agent is an offense, you can also file a direct summons to the registry of the criminal hearing.

As a public official (civil servant or contract worker), victim of a infringement such as contempt, you have a functional protection.

Thus, the employing administration pays the costs related to your case (example: legal fees). They can also pay you directly to make good the damage you (or your loved ones) have suffered.

In that case, it had the right to take legal action against the perpetrator in order to recover that sum. For this, you must (or the public prosecutor) have already taken legal action against this individual (for example, by filing a complaint).

Following your complaint, the perpetrator of a contempt of agent may be prosecuted and then sentenced to criminal sanctions by the correctional court.

This infringement shall be punished differently depending on the status of the public official:

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Depositary agent of public authority

The penalties incurred by the perpetrator of contempt of a public official depend on the function performed by the official:

General case

Contempt of a public official shall be punishable by:

  • 1 year in prison and €15,000 of fine if it is the work of one person
  • 2 years in prison and €30,000 of fine if it is the work of several persons.
Contempt of agent employed in a jurisdiction

Contempt of magistrate or to any other person working within a jurisdiction (e.g. registrar) is punished by 1 year in prison and €15,000 of a fine.

When the offense is committed during a hearing, these sentences amount to 2 years in prison and €30,000 of a fine.

Please note

These penalties apply to the offender of a contempt committed against a juror.

Contempt of a firefighter

Contempt of a firefighter or a firefighter shall be punishable by:

  • 1 year in prison and €15,000 of fine if it is the work of one person
  • 2 years in prison and €30,000 of fine if it is the work of several persons.

Agent with a public service mission

The penalties vary according to several factors:

  • Quality of the agent who is in contempt
  • Place where it was committed.
General case

Contempt committed against an official entrusted with a public service mission shall be punished:

  • Of a fine of €7,500 and a sentence of community service if it is the work of one person
  • A sentence of 6 months in prison and €7,500 of fine if it is the work of several persons.
Contempt against a public passenger transport agent

Contempt of an agent of an operator of a public passenger transport system shall be punished by:

  • A sentence of 6 months in prison and €7,500 of fine if it is the work of one person
  • To a sentence of 1 year in prison and €15,000 of fine if it is the work of several persons.
Contempt in a school

Contempt of an officer committed in or around a school shall be punishable by 6 months' imprisonment and €7,500 of a fine.

Contempt in a health care facility

When contempt is committed inside in a health facility (hospital, pharmacy, medical and social service, doctor's office, etc.), the author is liable to a prison sentence of 6 months and €7,500 of a fine.

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