New Police Chief for Saône-et-Loire: Eric Debeugny Appointed DDPP

Eric Debeugny, currently the head of the East division of the police in Lyon, will become the new departmental director of the Police de la Population (DDPP) for Saône-et-Loire on June 1st, according to reports from Creusot-Infos.

Debeugny will succeed Thomas Kieffer, who is retiring after leading the department through a period of national police reform initiated in February 2024. That reform, as reported by Le JSL, aimed to improve the efficiency of the 500 officers serving in the Saône-et-Loire department.

The appointment was announced on March 2, 2026, by Creusot-Infos, which indicated the information was recently confirmed. Debeugny’s new role as DDPP will place him in charge of all policing operations within the department.

According to a LinkedIn profile, Debeugny has a career within the French Ministry of the Interior.

The change in leadership comes as the national police force undergoes restructuring, with traditional security public circumscriptions (CSP) being replaced by national police circumscriptions (CPN), as part of the broader reforms initiated last year.