The police organisation may be traced back to the 1st August 1767, when Guillaume Desranges de Richeteaux was appointed Inspector of Police. That was during the French colonial period which lasted from 1715 to 1810.

Subsequently, on the 15th of December 1767 Antoine Codere was appointed "Commissaire de Police". He had then as assistants Inspector Desranges de Richeteaux mentioned above and Inspector Ignace Brunel.

The first Commissioner was at the same time "Juge du Conseil Superieur", the equivalent of a Supreme Court Judge.

Whilst the Commissioner had the control of Port Louis, the Country districts were policed by local military commanders.

On the 31st of July 1794, a CID organisation was formed for Port Louis or "Port North West"

On the 28th of October 1803, Decaen created a police Headquarters and put it under the charge of an "agent-général de Police" who also was a Justice of the Peace and presided over a tribunal "de Police Correctionelle", which was replaced in 1808 by a "Tribunal de Premiere Instance".

The Police Headquarters was located at Place d'Armes on the right hand-side of the Government House when facing the sea. In 1810 it was transferred to Pope Henessy Street, on premises adjoining the Municipality of Port Louis. However on the 22nd of March 1922, it was finally accommodated in Line Barracks where it still exists today.

Works on the construction of Line Barracks were started in 1740 at the time of Mahé de Labourdonnais and were completed in 1774, a date which can still be seen engraved on the gate in Deschartes Street. The Line Barracks compound stretches over an extent of 26 acres.

The Line Barracks were under the control of the civil administration until the 2nd of August 1841 when it was ceded to the military Authorities.

1810 - 1971

After the British occupation in 1810, a British Officer, Mr. A.W.Blane, took command of the Force.

In 1816 a Corps of Gendarmerie was formed following the French pattern and for linguistic reasons the command of the Force was, at the same time, shared by a British and a French Officer between 1816 and 1818.

The organisation as it exists today is more or less the result of the Commission of Enquiry of 1859.

The ordinance which governs the Police was enacted in 1893 and has now been replace by Police Act 1974.

The Chief of the Police Force was called Inspector General of Police until 1934 when that title was changed to Commissioner of Police. The Mauritius Police Force today is entirely responsible to the civil authorities. It incorporates an air wing (Police Helicopter Squadron), a paramilitary wing (Special Mobile Force) and a naval wing (National Coast Guard). Its total authorised strength, all ranks inclusive, is about 10763 today