Gendarmerie - Definition and Overview

A gendarmerie (French) is a military body charged with general police duties. The members of such a body are gendarmes. Many French-speaking countries have a gendarmerie, but the national police of Austria is also a gendarmerie. It is also used as a generic term for any similar force. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is named in French Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC).

List of Gendarmerie and similar forces

• Argentine Gendarmería Nacional
• Austrian Bundesgendarmerie
• Cretan Gendarmerie
• European Gendarmerie Force
• French Gendarmerie
• Italian Carabinieri
• Portuguese Gardia National Republicana
• Romanian Jandarmeria
• Turkish Jandarma

In Belgium, the Gendarmerie (Rijkswacht in Dutch) was passed to civilian control in 1991. In 2001, the Gendarmerie was suppressed; the Belgian police forces were streamlined into federal and local police forces.

See also

• Military Aid to the Civil Power
• paramilitary
• national Guard
• constabulary

Example Usage of Gendarmerie