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Military police ('''MPs''') are the Police of a Military Organization . Military police are concerned with law enforcement (including criminal investigation) on military property and concerning military personnel, installation security, close personal protection of senior military officers, management of Prisoners Of War , management of Military Prison s, hunting down Deserter s, traffic control, route signing and resupply route management. Not all military police organizations are concerned with all of these areas, however. These personnel are generally not front-line Combatant s, but are sometimes used in a defensive role as a primary defense force in rear area operations. In some countries, a military police force, generically known as a Gendarmerie , although there are a variety of other names, also serves as a national police force, often acting as heavy backup for the civil police and/or policing rural districts. For these duties, such forces are under civilian control and function in the same manner as civilian police forces. This gendarmerie may or may not also function as a military police force within the armed forces. In most countries, military police who are not members of gendarmerie forces do not have police powers over civilians except while on military property. The head of the military police is commonly referred to as the Provost Marshal . This ancient title was originally given to an officer whose duty it was to ensure that the army of the king did no harm to the citizenry. In many countries, military forces have separate Prison s and Judicial System s, different from Civilian Entities . The military possibly also has its own interpretation of Criminal Justice . The status of military police is usually prominently displayed on the Helmet and/or on an Armband , Brassard , or arm or shoulder flash. In the Second World War, the military police of the German Army still used a metal Gorget as an emblem. Naval police are sometimes called Masters-at-arms . MILITARY POLICE IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES Australia In the Australian Army , the Royal Australian Corps Of Military Police also performs the role of a secondary communications network in the front battle zone. Austria The military police of the Austria n '' Bundesheer '' is called the ''Militärstreife'' ("Military Patrol"). Belgium Military police duties in Belgium were previously performed by the '' Gendarmerie Nationale ''. When Belgium merged all its police into the Belgian Federal Police , those personnel performing military police duties became part of the army as the '' Police Militaire ''. Brazil Brazil has two types of military police. Each state in Brazil has a '' Polícia Militar '' (PM). Despite the name, these are uniformed gendarmerie forces which are the principal police forces of the state. Each of the , ''Polícia da Marinha'' (SP) in the Navy , and ''Polícia da Aeronaútica'' (PA) in the Air Force . Canada and the Royal Canadian Air Force Police . The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service handles investigations. Finland The '' Sotilaspoliisi '' ("Soldier Police") are the military police of the Finnish Defence Forces . They are nicknamed "''Koirat''" ("The Dogs") within the FDF. Their emblem is a black shoulder patch with the letters 'SP' in white. France The ''Gendarmerie Nationale'' act as both the military police and one of the two national police forces of France . The '' Gendarmerie Navale '' (also called the ''Gendarmerie Maritime'') polices the Navy (and also acts as a Coast Guard and Water Police force) and the '' Gendarmerie De L'Air '' polices the Air Force ; both are branches of the ''Gendarmerie Nationale''. Germany The '' Feldjäger '' are the military police of the German '' Bundeswehr ''. The term ''Feldjäger'' ("field rifleman" or "field hunter") has a long tradition and dates back to the mid-17th century. They are especially notorious for hunting down deserting conscripts. Their motto is ''Suum Cuique'' ("To each his own", derived from Cicero , ''De Finibus, Bonorum et Malorum'', ''liber V'', 67: "''(...) ut fortitudo in laboribus periculisque cernatur, (...), iustitia in'' suo cuique ''tribuendo.''"). Israel The ''Heyl HaMishtara HaTzva'it '' ("Military Police Force") is the military police of the Israel Defense Forces . It also helps monitor prisons, both those containing Israeli soldiers and Palestinian detainees. Italy The '' Carabinieri '' is a gendarmerie force which acts as both the military police and one of the two national police forces in Italy . Japan During World War II , the '' Kempeitai '' were the military police of the Imperial Japanese Army and the '' Tokeitai '' were the military police of the Imperial Japanese Navy . They also performed Intelligence and Secret Police functions and were feared throughout Japan and its occupied territories. The Japan Self-Defense Forces maintain military police units after its establishment. Netherlands In the Netherlands , the function of military police is performed by the '' Koninklijke Marechaussee '' ("Royal Constabulary"), a separate branch of the Military independent of the Army , Navy and Air Force . Besides performing military duties, the ''Marechaussee'' is also a gendarmerie force. The word ''Marechaussee'' seems to derive from the old French name ''Marecheaux'' given to an ancient court of justice in Paris called the "Tribunal of Constables and Marshals of France". These constables and marshals were to become members of the Gendarmerie which served as a model for the police forces of both Belgium and the Netherlands. The term ''Marechaussee'' was also used for the US Army's military police during the American Revolution . New Zealand In the New Zealand Army , the Corps Of Royal New Zealand Military Police only recruits internally, with applications only being accepted from personnel who have served for at least two years. MPs may be either career soldiers or from the Territorial Army (part-time soldiers). The Royal New Zealand Air Force recruits directly for Air Security Guards , who carry out military police functions and are responsible for providing security as well as ground defence training and drill/ceremonial training for other RNZAF Staff. The Royal New Zealand Navy , like the Army, does not recruit directly into their "police" branch. Instead, personnel of a certain rank and time-in-service may apply for the Master-At-Arms trade. Security of shore bases is the responsibility of New Zealand Defence Force civilian security personnel. At all NZDF facilities, civilian staff are used to augment military police manpower, particularly for relatively simple tasks like ID checking and security patrols. This allows the MPs to concentrate on the more complex and specialised tasks within their areas of responsibility, such as criminal investigation. Many former servicemen and women find employment as Civil Security Guards at NZDF establishments and this helps keep their expertise in-house. Norway In Norway , military police are service members of the Norwegian Army , Royal Norwegian Navy or Royal Norwegian Air Force . Since about 2002, all are trained at Sessvollmoen Camp . MPs in the Army are assigned to the Military Police Battalion, located at Bardufoss, Troms county. The current Battalion commander is Lieutenant Colonel Vidar Gade. The battalion consists of approximately 50 officers and NCOs, and 150 privates and corporals. Norwegian MPs first go through a six-month selection/educational period, before beeing assigned to the battalion or to regimental duties with other units for the remainder of their twelve-month service. Norwegian MPs do not have authority over civilians, except on military installations or under Martial Law . They do have authority over military personnel anywhere, including when such personnel are off duty. The ''Heimevernet'' ("Home Guard") also has MPs in its ranks. Usually each District (regiment) has one or two platoons, consisting exclusively of former regular or conscript military police personnel. Norwegian MPs wear a red beret and a red lanyard around the left shoulder extending to the left front pocket. Only personnel currently serving as MPs are allowed to wear this. When on official duty, they also wear the MP armband, which is black with "MP" in red letters. It was previously worn on the right shoulder, but is now worn on the left shoulder, following NATO practice. They can also wear white webbing, or a number of items for special duties, like high visibility vests for traffic duty etc. Army canine units are also assigned to the MP battalion, but the personnel in such units are not necessarily MPs. Such personnel do not hold military police authority, and do not wear the MP insignia. MPs have no power over civilians except inside military installations. More serious cases, like narcotics, are handed over to civilian police for investigation. Singapore In Singapore , the Singapore Armed Forces Provost Unit serves as the military police unit of the Singapore Armed Forces , and supports the Singapore Police Force by way of collaborations, such as in the co-location of Dog -training facilities for policing duties. The Unit is sub-divided into the Active Provost Company (including the ceremonial and drill squad), the Zone Provost Company (responsible for apprehending AWOL personnel) , the Detention Barracks, The Special Investigations Branch, the Security Branch, the Military Security Department, and the Dog Wing. United Kingdom Each of the British Armed Forces has its own military police branch. The British Army is policed by the Royal Military Police (RMP) (often known as "Redcaps") are members of the British Army 's Royal Military Police (RMP) and by Regimental Police , who belong to the individual Regiment s or Corps that they police. The Royal Air Force is policed by the Royal Air Force Police (RAFP). The Royal Navy is policed by the Regulating Branch , the members of which are known as Regulators (or Master-at-Arms if a Chief Petty Officer or Warrant Officer ). The Royal Marines also have a Police Troop, the Royal Marines Police . Each of the four agencies has its own Special Investigation Branch (SIB) to undertake plain-clothes investigations. All British military police are classed as Service Police and conform to the Service Police Codes of Practice. The British military prison at Colchester is operated by the Military Provost Staff Corps , an all-senior NCO corps which only recruits from serving personnel. The Ministry Of Defence Police is a civilian police force which also operates on Ministry Of Defence property and has full police powers over civilians as well as service personnel. United States The Military Police Corps polices the United States Army . The United States Marine Corps also has a Military Police branch. The United States Navy and United States Coast Guard use the terms Shore Patrol and Master At Arms instead. The United States Air Force is policed by the Air Force Security Forces (formerly called Security Police). Each service also maintains uniformed civilian police departments. They are referred to as either Department Of Defense (DOD) Force Protection (formerly known as Pentagon Police), Department of Defense Police, Department of Defense Guard, Department Of The Army (DA) Police, or Department of the Army Guard. The police officers' peacetime duties are the same as those of civilian police officers, namely to enforce the laws of the U.S. Military in the form of the Uniform Code Of Military Justice (UCMJ), and the regulations of their particular installation. The civilian guards' duties are normally restricted to protection of priority resources. Criminal investigation in the (NCIS) (a civilian agency), the Air Force Office Of Special Investigations (OSI), the Army Criminal Investigation Command (CIC) of the Army, the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS), and the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division (CID). The Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) is a civilian agency that answers directly to the DOD. The United States Constabulary was a gendarmerie force used to secure and patrol the American Zone of West Germany immediately after World War II . SEE ALSO |
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