Gendarmerie / Paramilitary Policing (again)

[davidbfpo]

Thanks to a "lurker" for the pointer to this July 2016 Australian article, 'An Australian Gendarmerie Force' on the Australian Army's blog. The role of a paramilitary gendarmerie, even a military police unit or whatever label is attached has appeared in several threads. Ah, the USA has called them constabulary units (post-1945 Europe).

Neat summary:

As the dichotomy between war and crime breaks down, ensuring a response to complex emergencies that blends domestic policing with military operations makes increasing sense. A gendarmerie force is a force that has this versatility inbuilt into it, it is a force capable of operating appropriately amongst a community and being the thin blue line, while at the same time delivering military objectives, both on its own or with military forces, should circumstances dictate.

Link:https://www.army.gov.au/our-future/b...armerie-force?

Recently we have seen Russian and now Chechen military police deployed in Syria; which must be their first overseas deployment beyond the former USSR.

I also recall the UK during 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland increased the size of the Royal Military Police and at one time the Army had 'primacy' over the RUC (local paramilitary police which was reformed and adapted to a different role).

The UN has also tried to get such paramilitary units deployed, with mixed success as I recall and that includes all-female units, from Bangladesh IIRC in Africa.

Other clearly relevant threads, (which were in different arenas and now all here) are:

1) A Thin Blue Line in the Sand from 2011
2) Federal Restrictions on using U.S. MPs for law enforcement on foreign soil from 2008
3) What are the SWC thoughts on policing in combat? from 2008
4) Cops or Police in Counterinsurgency COIN from 2016
5) A RFI Paramilitary forces in Colombia's conflicts: literature?


Searching again for Constabulary I found this thread U.S. Police in Peace and Stability Operations where ken White (who I miss a lot), Jedburgh and others chime in.