Editing Constabulary

{{Short description|A form of police force used in various jurisdictions}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
'''Constabulary''' may have several definitions:
*A civil, non-paramilitary (police) force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in the [[United Kingdom]], in which all [[county]] [[Law enforcement in the United Kingdom|police forces]] once bore the title (and some still do). [[Constable#United_States|Constables]] also exist in some [[U.S. state]]s including [[Texas constable|Texas]] and [[Pennsylvania State Constable|Pennsylvania]].
*In English-speaking Canada, the starting rank of all police officers is Constable. The provincial police service of [[Newfoundland]] and [[Labrador]] is the [[Royal Newfoundland Constabulary]]. This term reflects the force’s history of having been modelled after the [[Royal Irish Constabulary]]. In this case, Constabulary is used in the same sense in which it is used in the UK.  
*A large civil police force organised and trained along military lines, which may contain [[paramilitary]] elements. This is the usual definition in places outside [[Great Britain]] such as the former [[Royal Irish Constabulary]], the former [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]]{{fact|date=July 2018}}, [[Royal Newfoundland Constabulary]], [[Jamaica Constabulary Force]].
*A military or [[paramilitary]] type force consisting of soldiers trained for police duties. Mostly established by the [[United States]] in the several countries over which it had protective status e.g. [[Philippine Constabulary]]; [[United States Constabulary]] in [[West Germany]] after [[World War II]]. These forces also performed military functions by maintaining "mobile forces" of organised units.

==Current UK police services titled "constabulary"==
* [[Avon and Somerset Police|Avon and Somerset Constabulary]]
* [[Belfast International Airport Constabulary]]
* [[Cambridgeshire Constabulary]]
* [[Cheshire Constabulary]]
* [[Civil Nuclear Constabulary]]
* [[Derbyshire Constabulary]]
* [[Durham Constabulary]]
* [[Gloucestershire Constabulary]] 
* [[Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary]]
* [[Hampstead_Heath#Constabulary|Hampstead Heath Constabulary]]
* [[Havering Parks Constabulary]]
* [[Hertfordshire Constabulary]]
* [[Kew Constabulary]]
* [[Lancashire Constabulary]]
* [[Norfolk Constabulary]]
* [[Suffolk Constabulary]]

== Current constabularies in the Netherlands{{clarify|date=July 2018}}==

* [[Royal Marechaussee]]
* [[Dienst Speciale Interventies]]
* [[Brigade Speciale Beveiligingsopdrachten]]

==Historic constabularies==
;Philippines
* [[Philippine Constabulary]] – created in 1901 by the American colonial administration. It was demilitarised and merged with the [[Integrated National Police]] in 1991 to form the [[Philippine National Police]].

;Ireland
* [[Royal Irish Constabulary]] – The United Kingdom's paramilitary police force in [[Ireland]] from 1822–1922.

;Northern Ireland
* [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] – The United Kingdom's police force in [[Northern Ireland]] from 1922 – 2001 when it was reformed as the [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]].
* [[Ulster Special Constabulary]] – a reserve police force from 1920 until it was disbanded in 1970.

;Free City of Danzig
* [[Free City of Danzig Police]] – The law enforcement agency of the semi-autonomous [[Free City of Danzig]] from 1919 - 1945.

;United States
* [[United States Constabulary]] – [[United States Army]] military [[gendarmerie]] force. From 1946 to 1952, in the aftermath of World War II, it acted as an occupation and security force in the [[Allied-occupied Germany|U.S. Occupation Zone]] of [[West Germany]] and [[Austria]].
* [[Pennsylvania State Constables]] – an elected office held in all Pennsylvania townships, boroughs, and cities except Philadelphia; unrelated to the [[Pennsylvania State Police]]

;Malaysia
* North Borneo Constabulary – The paramilitary police force of [[North Borneo]] from 1800s to 1963 where it was officially incorporated into [[Royal Malaysia Police]] shortly after the formation of Malaysia.
* Sarawak Constabulary – The paramilitary police force of [[Kingdom of Sarawak]] from 1800s to 1963 where it was officially incorporated into Royal Malaysia Police shortly after the formation of Malaysia.

;South Africa
* [[South African Constabulary]] – The paramilitary gendarmerie force raised by the [[British Army]] to police captured areas of the two former [[Boer republics]] of the [[South African Republic|Transvaal]] and [[Orange Free State]] during the [[Second Boer War]] from 1900 to 1908.

== Further reading ==
*Segal, David R., Brian J. Reed, and David E. Rohall. “Constabulary Attitudes of National Guard and Regular Soldiers in the U.S. Army.” [[Armed Forces & Society]], Jul 1998; Vol. 24: pp.&nbsp;535–548. http://afs.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/24/4/535
*Moskos, Charles C., Jr. “UN Peacekeepers: The Constabulary Ethic and Military Professionalism.” [[Armed Forces & Society]], Jul 1975; Vol. 1: pp.&nbsp;388–401.

==External links==
*{{Commonscat-inline}}

[[Category:Law enforcement units]]