Gendarmerie (Palestine)

## Insignia

### Flag

The **Gendarmerie** (Arabic: قوات الدرّك *quwāt ad-darrak*; lit. "gendarme forces") is one of four service branches of the Palestinian Armed Forces. Unlike the other branches, the Gendarmerie has jurisdiction in domestic law enforcement, and is tasked with local to national policing within the Republic of Palestine. It has the same primary role as civilian police forces in other countries, but is structured like any other military service and follows a ranking system similar to that of the Palestinian Army. It also has two corps with provost (military police) authority, responsible for law enforcement within the armed forces as a whole.

The National Police Corps under the Gendarmerie handles law enforcement within and across all 44 counties of Palestine, as well as in the special administrative municipalities of East Jerusalem and Port Said. In 1989, the last civilian police department in Palestine was dissolved and its authority transferred to the Gendarmerie, giving it a monopoly in law enforcement.

The Gendarmerie is responsible for routine matters like traffic safety and highway patrol, community policing, serving domestic calls and warrants, and maintaining security at airports, government ministries, military installations, and public areas, as well as more serious operations such as counter-terrorism, handling hostage situations and investigating organised crime, enforcing civilian and military law at both the local and national jurisdictional levels. As part of the armed forces, the Gendarmerie is subordinate to the Ministry of Defence; during peacetime, however, the National Police Corps is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior.

## Equipment

The Land Rover Discovery is the traditional patrol vehicle for policing units since 1989, and is in the process of being replaced by next generation India-supplied models. Marked patrol vehicles are white in colour, usually with orange and blue stripes down both sides, and equipped with emergency lights and siren. Highway patrol commonly employs motorcycle units, who can be recognised by their red helmet and white BMW K1600 cruiser. Regular gendarmes usually only carry a sidearm, most commonly an A-10 pistol with an F-5 rifle stored in the patrol vehicle. There are also three helicopter patrol units within the 1st Gendarmerie, each operating a Canada-supplied Bell CH-146.

Gendarmes can be recognised by their red berets, and wear a uniform with a blue digital camouflage pattern; provost units attached to deployed Army formations usually wear the same green or beige environmental camouflage fatigues, and may substitute the red beret for a combat helmet.

## Structure

The structure of the Gendarmerie is much like that of the Palestinian Army. Unlike the Army, however, the National Police Corps departments are organised by county and subordinate municipality. The Provost and Political corps are organised into numbered brigades and regiments as in the Army. The Main Directorate functions as the executive and administrative leadership of the Gendarmerie, while the subordinate corps operate within the jurisdiction of either the State Secretariat of Defence or Internal Affairs.

The Gendarmerie is the only service branch of the armed forces without a complimentary reserve force. This is because of its local nature and the non-deployability of law enforcement regiments under the National Police Corps.

### Main Directorate

* Gendarmerie General Staff (part of Office of the General Staff of the Palestinian Armed Forces)
* General Provost
* General Inspectorate
* Operational Support Directorate
	+ Criminal Investigation Unit
	+ Forensic Science Unit
	+ Accident & Collision Investigation Unit
	+ Traffic Safety Unit
* Administrative & Logistical Support Directorate
	+ Health & Safety Division
* Personnel Directorate
	+ Human Resources Department
	+ Training Academy
	+ Gendarmerie Officers' Academy
* Finance & Supply Directorate
* Legal Directorate
	+ Legal Advisor
	+ Claims Department

### Units reporting to Minister of Interior

* National Police Corps (1st Gendarmerie)
	+ National Division
		- State Security Department
			* *agency detachments*
		- Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Department
		- Public Security Department
		- Criminal Department
			* Criminal Inspectorate
			* Narcotics Department
			* Organised Crime Department
		- Special Operations Department
		- Airport Security Department
			* *airport detachment*
	+ Metropolitan Division
		- E. Jerusalem Metropolitan Department
			* *borough department*
				+ *precinct*
		- Port Said Metropolitan Department
			* *borough department*
				+ *precinct*
	+ Territorial Division
		- *county department*
			* *municipal department*
				+ *(precinct)*

### Units reporting to Minister of Defence

* Military Inspectorate (2nd Gendarmerie)
	+ Army Inspectorate
	+ Air Force Inspectorate
	+ Naval Inspectorate
	+ Internal Operations Inspectorate
	+ Administrative Inspectorate
* Gendarmerie Supply Corps (3rd Gendarmerie)
	+ Technical Division
	+ Materiel Supply Division
	+ Ordnance Division
	+ Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Division
* Military Police Corps (4th Gendarmerie)
	+ 41st Provost Brigade
		- 410th Regular Provost Regiment
		- 411th Army Provost Regiment
		- 412th Army Auxiliary Group
	+ 42nd Provost Regiment
		- 421st Army Provost Battalion
		- 422nd Army Provost Battalion
		- 423rd Army Auxiliary Group
	+ 43rd Special Provost Regiment
		- 433rd Special Patrol Group
		- 434th Special Patrol Group
	+ 44th Naval Provost Regiment
		- 443rd Pier Support Group
		- 444th Pier Support Group
		- 445th Provost Attaché
	+ 46th Special Air Regiment
		- 461st Special Support Group
		- 462nd Special Support Group
		- 465th Airborne Attaché
	+ 48th Special Air Group
		- 483rd Airborne Attaché
		- 484th Airborne Attaché
* Political Officers' Corps (5th Gendarmerie)
	+ 51st Political Brigade
		- 511th Barrier Regiment
		- 512th Barrier Regiment
		- 515th Political Regiment
	+ 52nd Political Regiment
		- 522nd Barrier Battalion
		- 523rd Barrier Battalion
		- 524th Special Patrol Group
	+ 53rd Mechanized Police Regiment
		- 535th Mechanized Battalion
		- 536th Mechanized Battalion
	+ 54th Political Regiment
		- 541st Political Battalion
		- 542nd Political Battalion
		- 545th Barrier Battalion
	+ 55th Advisory Group
		- 553rd Political Attaché
		- 554th Political Attaché
	+ 56th Special Patrol Group
	+ 57th Special Patrol Group
	+ 58th Liaison Regiment
		- 585th Communications Group
		- 586th Auxiliary Attaché