Military police

Military police (MPs) are the police of a military organization, generally concerning themselves with law enforcement and security.

Related Topics:
Police - Military - Organization - Law enforcement - Security

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In wartime, military police are primarily concerned with installation security, close personal protection of senior military officers, management of prisoners of war, traffic control, route signing and resupply route management, as well as their primary policing roles. These personnel are generally not front-line combatants, but are sometimes used in a defensive role as a primary defense force in rear area operations.

Related Topics:
Prisoners of war - Combatant

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In some countries, a military police force, the Gendarmerie, Carabinieri, Civil Guard or Marechaussee, 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.

Related Topics:
Gendarmerie - Carabinieri - Civil Guard - Marechaussee

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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.

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In many countries, military forces have separate prisons and judicial systems, different from civilian entities. The military possibly also has its own interpretation of criminal justice.

Related Topics:
Prison - Judicial system - Civilian - Entities - Criminal justice

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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.

Related Topics:
Helmet - Armband - Brassard - Gorget

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