Belgian Gendarmerie

The Belgian Gendarmerie (Lang-fr|Gendarmerie belge and Lang-nl|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.

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. 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.

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. 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 Dutch renamed the Gendarmerie as the “Constabulary” and reorganised the force.

Belgium

In 1830 the Belgian revolution occurred. After obtaining its independence, the new Belgian state created its own national gendarmerie on the basis of the already existing constabulary. The gendarmes operated throughout the entire country. From its creation, the Gendarmerie was formally part of the Belgian Army.

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. The majority of the gendarmes refused to collaborate with the German occupiers. 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 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). 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.

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. 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
*"Luitenant-generaal/Lieutenant-général" - Lieutenant General
*"Generaal-majoor/Général-major" - Major General
*"Kolonel/Colonel" - Colonel
*"Luitenant-kolonel/Lieutenant-colonel" - Lieutenant Colonel
*"Majoor/Major" - Major
*"Kapitein-kommandant/Capitaine-commandant" - Captain-Commandant
*"Kapitein/Capitaine" - Captain
*"Luitenant/Lieutenant" - Lieutenant
*"Onderluitenant/Sous-lieutenant" - Sub-Lieutenant

Lower Ranks
*"Adjudant-chef" - Chief Warrant Officer
*"Adjudant" - Warrant Officer
*"1ste Opperwachtmeester/1é Maréchal des logis-chef" - 1st Chief Quartermaster
*"Opperwachtmeester/Maréchal des logis-chef" - Chief Quartermaster
*"1ste Wachtmeester/1é Maréchal des logis" - 1st Quartermaster
*"Wachtmeester/Maréchal des logis" - Quartermaster
*"Brigadier/Brigadeer" - Sergeant
*"Rijkswachter/Gendarme" - Gendarme

External links

* [http://www.police.be/ Belgium Police portal]
* [http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/home_fr.php Belgian Federal Police portal]
* [http://www.police.be/fransintro.html Belgian Local Police Portal]
* [http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/org/org_histo_gend00_fr.php History of the Gendarmerie on the site of Belgian Federal Police]
* [http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/org/org_histo_museum_fr.php Belgian Federal Police Historical Service site]