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A portrait of a member of the Belgian Gendarmerie in 1947
A portrait of a member of the Belgian Gendarmerie in 1947

The Belgian Gendarmerie (French: Gendarmerie belge and Dutch: Rijkswacht) was a paramilitary gendarmerie-type police force of Belgium until January 1, 2001, when it was, together with the other police forces in Belgium, abolished and replaced by the Local police and Federal police. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname A gendarmerie or gendarmery (dʒɛnˈdɑrməriː or /ˌʒɑndɑrməˈriː/ after the French is a Military body charged with Police duties among civilian The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The Belgian police is the government agency charged with upholding the law and public order in Belgium.

The Gendarmerie used to be the responsibility of the Minister of Defense, but it lost its military status after January 1, 1992, when a large restructuring of the force was made. A defence minister (or defense minister) is a Cabinet position which regulates the Armed forces in some sovereign nations New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) It was then put under supervision of the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Justice, obtaining a civilian status. This restructuring occurred after the 'black' 1980s of the Nijvel gang, Heysel Stadium disaster, Cellules Communistes Combattantes (CCC), and other criminal and terrorist activity, against which the Gendarmerie was deemed ineffective. The Killers of Brabant or the Nivelles gang ( "De Bende van Nijvel" or "de Bende" in Dutch, "Les Tueurs du Brabant" or The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred owing to Football hooliganism in which a retaining wall of the Heysel Stadium in Brussels collapsed on May 29 Cellules Communistes Combattantes ( CCC; Communist Combatant Cells was a Belgian terrorist organization committed to a Left Communist

Contents

History

Pre Belgium

In 1795, the Belgian provinces came under French rule. It was at this time that the Gendarmerie was created. This military force had been created a short time before in France itself to replace the Marchausse (mounted constabulary corps) of the former Monarchy. Marshal (also sometimes spelled marshall in American English, but not in British English) is a word used in several official titles of various branches The legislation which organised the new gendarmerie service in Belgium was a law dated April 17 1798, which remained into force until 1957.

In 1814 the Belgian provinces again became part of the Netherlands, ruled by Prince William of Orange. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands William III or William of Orange (14 November 1650 &ndash 8 March 1702 He is informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy" The Dutch renamed the Gendarmerie as the “Constabulary” and reorganised the force.

Belgium

In 1830 the Belgian revolution occurred. The Belgian Revolution was a conflict in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands that began with a riot in Brussels in August 1830 and eventually led to the After obtaining its independence, the new Belgian state created its own national gendarmerie on the basis of the already existing constabulary. Constabulary may have several definitions A civil non-paramilitary Police force consisting of police officers called Constables This is the usual The gendarmes operated throughout the entire country. From its creation, the Gendarmerie was formally part of the Belgian Army. The Land Component (French Composante Terre, Dutch Landcomponent) formerly the Belgian Army, is the land-based service of the Belgian

The major strikes and tense social conditions of the 1930s brought important changes in the organization of the Gendarmerie, in particular through the expansion of the mobile units created in 1913.

During the Second World War, the Gendarmerie was restricted to the role of administrative and legal police force, primarily concerned with road traffic. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The majority of the gendarmes refused to collaborate with the German occupiers. Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals — for example an intellectual It is believed that individual gendarmes assisted the Belgian Resistance. These actions were not tolerated by the occupation authorities and from 1942 onwards the Gendarmerie was deprived of many of its functions.

After the war, the Service was completely reorganized. New units were created, and at the end of 1957 new legislation relating to the fundamental role of the Gendarmerie was passed, envisaged in the Constitution of 1830. This law confirmed the functions of the Gendarmerie and its independence from the administrative authorities. The Gendarmerie was separated from the Belgian Army Territorial Defense Force, and became a forth department within the military. The Land Component (French Composante Terre, Dutch Landcomponent) formerly the Belgian Army, is the land-based service of the Belgian The Gendarmerie was also authorised to create its own training establishments.

During the 1960s conditions of service improved considerably. This period also saw a major increase in serious crimes (holdups, drugs, terrorism, etc). The Central Office of Research (BCR) was created, plus a centralized radio network. Tracker dogs were employed for the first time.

During the 1980s, the Gendarmerie suffered serious problems. Much of its equipment was outdated or missing, it was significantly understrength, and there were serious financial issues. It was also the period of fighting Communist cells (CCC), serious and deadly criminal activities by gangs (like the Nijvel gang, a case that was never solved) and hooliganism (Heysel drama). The Killers of Brabant or the Nivelles gang ( "De Bende van Nijvel" or "de Bende" in Dutch, "Les Tueurs du Brabant" or Several parliamantary commissions blamed the Gendarmerie for bad investigation and law enforcement work in these cases. The Gendarmerie was threatened with disbandment, and drastic measurements were taken to reorganise several units and to improve public relations.

Demilitarization

At the beginning of 1992 the Gendarmerie was demilitarised, which caused major changes in policies, procedures, and staff regulations. Demilitarisation allowed the force to concentrate all its resources on civil police work. The distinctive dark blue and red uniforms, with high-collared tunics and wide-topped kepis dating back to the late 19th century, were replaced by modern police dress. The kepi is a Cap with a flat circular top and a Visor ( American English) or peak ( British English)

Disbandment

At the end of the 1990s, following adverse reports arising from the Dutroux Affair, the Belgian Government decided to dissolve all the existing police forces. Marc Dutroux (born November 6 1956 in Brussels) is a Belgian serial killer and criminal convicted of having kidnapped, Tortured The parliamentary commission, which investigated the errors that were made during the search for the missing children, stated that the three police organisations didn't work effective and efficient. There were problems with cooperation, and vital information was not exchanged.

Parliament, majority and oppossition, decided to abolish the existing structures, and created a new police organisation, structured in two departments: the Federal Police and the Local Police. In 2001, the Gendarmerie were dissolved.

Ranks

The ranks of the Gendarmerie were:

Officer Ranks

Lower Ranks

External links

Lieutenant General is a Military rank used in many countries The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Captain-Commandant is a Subaltern Commissioned officer rank in the Air component, Land component and Medical component of the Belgian Armed Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Sub-Lieutenant is a military rank It is normally a junior officer rank "Chief Warrant Officer" in the United States Armed Forces refers to any warrant officer W-2 and above A Warrant Officer ( WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world
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