National Gendarmerie

The National Gendarmerie (French: Gendarmerie nationale, along with the National Police, is one of two national police forces of France. It is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior, with additional duties from the Ministry of Armed Forces. Its responsibilities include policing smaller towns, rural and suburban areas, with subdivisions like the GSPR, while the Police Nationale, a civilian force, is in charge of policing cities. Because of its military status, the Gendarmerie also fulfills a range of military and defence missions including having a cybercrime division. The force has a strength of more than 100,000 personnel, as of 2014.The Gendarmerie is the heir to the Maréchaussée, the oldest police force in France, dating back to the Middle Ages. The Gendarmerie has influenced the culture and traditions of gendarmerie forces all around the world, especially in independent countries from the former French colonial empire.