Police

:This article is about law enforcement. For the band, see The Police. For the town in Poland, see Police, Poland.

Multiple levels of police agencies

In many countries, particularly those with a federal system of government, there may be several police or police-like organisations, each serving different levels of government and enforcing different subsets of the applicable law.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Australia

In Australia there are two levels of police forces, state police and the Australian Federal Police.

Related Topics:
Australia - State - Australian Federal Police

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Each State as well as the Northern Territory is responsible for maintaining its own police force which is responsible for policing at the state and local level. This involves general law and order, traffic policing, major crime, anti-terrorism branches, water police, search and rescue and in some states transit police. Local policing in the Australian Capital Territory, Jervis Bay Territory and Australia's external territories is contracted to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

Related Topics:
State - Northern Territory - Australian Capital Territory - Jervis Bay Territory - Australian Federal Police

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In some states, local governments employ by-laws officers or rangers to enforce local by-laws or ordinances relating to such matters as parking, dog ownership, retailing, littering or water usage. These local government officers are not considered to be police forces as they generally only have the power to issue fines and do not have the same powers as state police, such as the power of arrest.

Related Topics:
Local government - By-laws - Ordinance - Arrest

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Australian Federal Police operates at a Federal level and concerns itself with Federal laws including corporate law, drug smuggling, money laundering, people smuggling, e-crime and anti-terrorism. Australian Federal Police Officers also serve on international peacekeeping and policing operations in such places as Cyprus, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Related Topics:
E-crime - Peacekeeping - Cyprus - Timor Leste - Papua New Guinea - Solomon Islands

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other Federal Agencies are also responsible for specific areas of law enforcement. These include the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Customs Service.

Related Topics:
Australian Crime Commission - Australian Securities and Investments Commission - Australian Customs Service

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Brazil

In Brazil there are two or three levels of policing: the Brazilian Federal Police and state police operate everywhere, and some cities also have City Guards.

Related Topics:
Brazil - Brazilian Federal Police

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Each State is responsible for maintaining its own police forces, which are responsible for policing at the state and local level. Patrol and order duties are carried out by a military police force and investigation duties by a civil police force. Because of this division of responsibilities, there is lot of tension between these forces.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In some cities, the local government employs city guards, who patrol municipal property such as parks and the environs of city halls. City guards are not permitted to carry firearms on duty.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Brazilian Federal Police operates at a Federal level and concerns itself with Federal laws, including corporate law, drug smuggling, money laundering, people smuggling, e-crime and anti-terrorism.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Canada

In Canada, there are three levels of police forces: municipal, provincial, and federal. Constitutionally, law enforcement is a provincial responsibility, although most urban areas have been given the authority to maintain their own police forces. Small municipalities contract out their law enforcement to the provincial authorities, and all but three provinces in turn contract out their provincial law enforcement responsibilities to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the federal force, which therefore is the only police force to service three distinct levels in the area.

Related Topics:
Canada - Royal Canadian Mounted Police

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland maintain their own provincial police forces: The Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec and Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Smaller Canadian cities often contract police service from the RCMP, while larger cities maintain their own force.

Related Topics:
Ontario - Quebec - Newfoundland - Ontario Provincial Police - Sûreté du Québec - Royal Newfoundland Constabulary

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are also a few private police forces, with the same powers as other governmental forces. The Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railroads both have their own police forces, whose duty is to prevent pilferage of the merchandise being carried on their rail systems and to protect staff, passengers and property. Other entities, such as Hydro Québec and formerly the National Harbour Board, also have their own police forces.

Related Topics:
Canadian National - Canadian Pacific - Hydro Québec - National Harbour Board

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

France

In France, there are two separate national police agencies, with overlapping but different jurisdiction:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• the National Police in the towns;
• the Gendarmerie (military police) in the country, villages and small towns.

A similar diffusion exists, or has existed, in several other countries following the French system.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Additionally, French municipalities may have a local police called the police municipale, garde municipale or garde champetre, with restricted powers: they can only enforce the municipal by-laws (amongst which those related to the road circulation) and participate in prevention actions (survey, evacuation of buildings, protection against accidents, etc.). These personnel may or may not be allowed to bear firearms.

Related Topics:
Garde champetre - By-law

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Note that in French, the term "police" does not only refers to the forces, but also to the general concept of "maintenance of law and order" (policing). There are two types of police in this general sense:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• administrative police (police administrative): preventative actions (patrols, signalizing accident areas, overpowering a violent person, taking care of a lost or abandoned child, etc.);
• judicial police (police judiciaire): noticing infringements of the law, searching for the proofs and for the authors of the crime, investigation, and full powers of arrest.

Thus, the mayor has the administrative police power on the town (i.e. he/she can order the police forces to enforce the municipal by-laws), the judge has the power of police on the court (i.e. he/she can have people who disrupt the proceedings expelled from the court room).

Related Topics:
Mayor - Judge

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Until 1984, the National Police was involved in the prehospital care and casualty transport (Police secours). The prehospital care is now performed by firemen; however, mountain rescue is performed by the Gendarmerie (PGHM, peloton de gendarmerie de haute montagne) and the CRS (Compagnies républicaines de sécurité, National Police's Republican Security Company).

Related Topics:
1984 - Casualty transport - Firemen - Mountain rescue

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some other countries follow this model and have separate police agencies with the same role but different jurisdictions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

India

The police is under the state jurisdiction. The police reports to the state home department. Each state has its State Police and large cities have a Metropolitan Police.

Related Topics:
State Police - Metropolitan Police

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Interpol

Most countries are members of the International Criminal Police Organization - Interpol, established to detect and fight trans-national crime and provide for international co-operation and coordination of other police activities, such as notifying relatives of the death of foreign nationals. Interpol does not conduct enquiries nor arrests by itself, but only serves as a central point for information on crime, suspects and criminals. Political crimes are excluded from its competencies.

Related Topics:
International Criminal Police Organization - '''Interpol''' - Political crime

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a unitary (as opposed to federal) state, and police forces, generally speaking, are organised at the level of administrative districts. Certain departments of the Metropolitan Police operate throughout the country, including the Anti-Terrorist Branch, Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department, and certain units of Special Branch. The new Serious Organised Crime Agency will also be a national agency that will work in all police areas. The smallest UK force is the City of London Police.

Related Topics:
Administrative district - Metropolitan Police - Anti-Terrorist Branch - Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department - Special Branch - Serious Organised Crime Agency - City of London Police

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The United States of America

In the United States, there are several levels of policing and law enforcement services, federal police, state police (often called state troopers or highway patrol), special-purpose district police (parks, schools, housing, transit, etc), county police (sheriffs, constables, and some county police agencies), and local police. There are thousands of separate police forces.

Related Topics:
United States - Federal police - State police - Special-purpose district - County police - Sheriff - Constable

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Local policing is usually conducted by the police departments at the county, city, township or village level and may range from one person offices (sometimes still called the town marshal) to the 40,000 men and women of the New York City Police Department. County sheriffs, county police, state police, and highway patrols enforce laws in their particular jurisdictions and are usually the only police in unincorporated areas beyond the jurisdiction of the cities. They also assist the local police with investigations and may operate county jails. Special district police tend to be security police forces with little or no off-site authority. Exceptions however include the Los Angeles School Police Department, which with a deployment of 525 sworn and non-sworn personnel covers 708 square miles from five police divisions and the Minneapolis Park Police Department, a much smaller unit with a deployment of 38 sworn police officers and 27 non-sworn Park Patrol agents.

Related Topics:
Marshal - New York City Police Department - Sheriff - County police - State police - Highway patrol - Unincorporated - Security police - Los Angeles School Police Department

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Federal police fall into two broad categories:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Investigative agencies (such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Secret Service); and
• uniformed security police agencies (such as the Federal Protective Service, U.S. Mint Police, United States Park Police and United States Border Patrol).

Both types operate at the highest level and are endowed with police or quasi-police roles. The investigative agencies have nationwide jurisdiction, while the uniformed agencies tend to have rather limited territorial jurisdictions. The FBI has the most general investigative powers, while the other federal agencies are highly specialized. All federal agencies are limited by the U.S. Constitution to investigating only matters that are explicitly within the power of the federal government, like interstate commerce. However, federal investigative powers have become very broad in practice, especially since the passing of the USA PATRIOT Act.

Related Topics:
Interstate commerce - USA PATRIOT Act

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Because of all this complexity, at a crime or disaster scene affecting large numbers of people, there will be many different police agencies involved. Usually the highest local agency, or the highest federal law enforcement agency (the FBI), if a federal law was involved, will take command in such confusing situations, as depicted in movies like The Negotiator or Die Hard.

Related Topics:
Movie - The Negotiator - Die Hard

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~