The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is the provincial police force of Quebec2. It is one of the oldest Quebec institutions still in existence. It is also the only police organization to serve the entire territory of Quebec. It was created by the Quebec Police Act, sanctioned on February 1, 1870. It was on May 1, 1870 that the organization of the provincial police of Quebec was completed. The SQ 
is one of the three provincial police forces in Canada, the others belonging to Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, while the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) acts as federal police in the other Provinces and territories of Canada. The RCMP is delegated to specific tasks in this province, as in Ontario.

Its headquarters are located at 1701 Parthenais Street in Montreal, Quebec.

According to the Police Act, its mission is as follows:

"The Sûreté du Québec, national police, contributes, throughout the territory of Québec, to the maintenance of peace and public order, to the preservation of life, security and the fundamental rights of individuals as well as to protect their property. The Sûreté du Québec also supports the police community, coordinates large-scale police operations, contributes to the integrity of state institutions and ensures the safety of transportation networks under Quebec jurisdiction. »

To carry out its mission, the Sûreté du Québec can count on more than 3,677 vehicles of all kinds and it reports operating and investment expenditures of more than 833 million Canadian dollars. The Sûreté du Québec has 120 posts spread over nine major regions, grouped within four districts delimited as follows:

The Eastern district includes the Capitale-Nationale–Chaudière-Appalaches and Bas-Saint-Laurent–Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine regions;

The North district includes the Côte-Nord-Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Abitibi-Témiscamingue–Nord-du-Québec regions;

The South district includes the Montérégie and Estrie–Centre-du-Québec regions;

The West district includes the Mauricie–Lanaudière, Outaouais–Laurentides regions and the Greater Montreal highway region.

Moreover, the Sûreté du Québec is increasingly active at the international level despite its status as a provincial police force. Indeed, it maintains privileged relations with several European partners (France, Belgium, Switzerland) in terms of technical cooperation and participates in United Nations peacekeeping missions (MINUSTAH and UNOCI). She is also part of the Francopol international network, dedicated to improving police training and practices in the Francophonie. The headquarters of the Sûreté du Québec houses the General Secretariat of Francopol in Montreal.

Several controversies have shaken the reputation of the Sûreté du Québec, notably at the G8 in 2007, when agents provocateurs of the Sûreté du Québec would have themselves provoked the police officers of the Sûreté du Québec, who would have subsequently retaliated. Contradictions were reported by Radio-Canada following the events in Victoriaville in May 2012 during the student protests.