Belgian Gendarmerie
Encyclopedia
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The Gendarmerie became a civilian police organisation in 1992, a status retained until January 1, 2001, when it was, together with the other existing police forces in Belgium, abolished and replaced by the Local Police and Federal Police.
Pre Belgium
In 1795, the Belgian provinces came under French rule. It was at this time that the Gendarmerie was created. This military force had been created a short time before in France itself to replace the Marechaussee (mounted corps of marshals) of the former Monarchy. The legislation which organised the new gendarmerie service in Belgium was a law dated April 17 1798, which remained into force until 1957.In 1814 the Belgian provinces again became part of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, ruled by Prince William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
. The Dutch renamed the Gendarmerie as the “Marechaussee” and reorganised the force.
Belgium
In 1830 the Belgian revolutionBelgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
occurred. After obtaining its independence the new Belgian state created its own national gendarmerie on the basis of the already existing constabulary
Constabulary
Constabulary may have several definitions.*A civil, non-paramilitary force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in Britain, in which all county police forces once bore the title...
. The gendarmes operated throughout the entire country. From its creation, the Gendarmerie was formally part of the Belgian Army
Belgian Army
The Land Component is organised using the concept of capacities, whereby units are gathered together according to their function and material. Within this framework, there are five capacities: the command capacity, the combat capacity, the support capacity, the services capacity and the training...
.
The major strikes and tense social conditions of the 1930s brought important changes in the organization of the Gendarmerie, in particular through the expansion of the mobile units created in 1913.
During the Second World War, the Gendarmerie was restricted to the role of administrative and legal police force, primarily concerned with road traffic. The majority of the gendarmes refused to collaborate with the German occupiers. It is believed that individual gendarmes assisted the Belgian Resistance. These actions were not tolerated by the occupation authorities and from 1942 onwards the Gendarmerie was deprived of many of its functions.
After the war, the Service was reorganized. New units were created, and at the end of 1957 new legislation relating to the fundamental role of the Gendarmerie was passed, envisaged in the Constitution of 1830. This law confirmed the functions of the Gendarmerie and its independence from the administrative authorities. The Gendarmerie was separated from the Belgian Army Territorial Defense Force, and became a fourth department within the military. The Gendarmerie was also authorised to create its own training establishments.
During the 1960s conditions of service improved considerably. This period also saw a major increase in serious crimes (holdups, drugs, terrorism, etc). The Central Office of Research (BCR) was created, plus a centralized radio network. Tracker dogs were employed for the first time.
During the 1980s, the Gendarmerie suffered serious problems. Much of its equipment was outdated, it was significantly understrength, and there were serious financial issues. It was also the period of fighting Communist cells (CCC
Communist Combatant Cells
Cellules Communistes Combattantes was a Belgian terrorist organization committed to a Communist ideology....
), serious and deadly criminal activities by gangs (like the Nijvel gang
Nijvel gang
The Nijvel gang or the Brabant killers is a group or groups thought to be responsible for the "Brabant massacres", a series of violent attacks that occurred mostly in the province of Brabant in Belgium...
, a case that was never solved) and hooliganism (Heysel
Heysel
Heysel or Heizel , is an area in Brussels and may in particular refer to:* Heysel Park, a part of Brussels* Heysel Metro Station, one of the metro stations on line 6 of the Brussels Metro...
drama). Several parliamantary commissions blamed the Gendarmerie for bad investigation and law enforcement work in these cases. The Gendarmerie was threatened with disbandment, and drastic measurements were taken to reorganise several units and to improve public relations.
Demilitarisation
At the beginning of 1992 the Gendarmerie was demilitarised, which caused major changes in policies, procedures, and staff regulations. Demilitarisation allowed the force to concentrate all its resources on civil police work.Previously under the supervision and responsibility of the Minister of Defense, the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Justice, the Gendarmerie lost its military status on January 1, 1992, when a major restructuring of the force was made. The reorganised Gendarmerie had a solely civilian policing role and its military functions, as well as the supervision of the Ministry of Defence were removed. This restructuring occurred after the 'black' 1980s of the Nijvel gang
Nijvel gang
The Nijvel gang or the Brabant killers is a group or groups thought to be responsible for the "Brabant massacres", a series of violent attacks that occurred mostly in the province of Brabant in Belgium...
, Heysel Stadium disaster
Heysel Stadium disaster
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred on 29 May 1985 when escaping fans were pressed against a wall in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, as a result of rioting before the start of the 1985 European Cup Final between Liverpool of England and Juventus of Italy...
, Cellules Communistes Combattantes (CCC), and other criminal and terrorist activity, against which the Gendarmerie was deemed ineffective.
Disbandment
At the end of the 1990s, following adverse reports arising from the Dutroux Affair, the Belgian Government decided to dissolve all the existing police forces. The parliamentary commission, which investigated the errors that were made during the search for the missing children, stated that the three police organisations did not work effectively and efficiently together. There were problems with cooperation and vital information was not exchanged.Parliament, both the majority and the opposition, decided to abolish the existing structures, and created a new police organisation, structured in two departments: the Federal Police and the Local Police. In 2001, the Gendarmerie was dissolved.
Ranks
The ranks of the Gendarmerie were:Senior and General Officer Ranks
- Luitenant-generaal/Lieutenant-général - Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
- Generaal-majoor/Général-major - Major GeneralMajor GeneralMajor general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
- Kolonel/Colonel - ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
- Luitenant-kolonel/Lieutenant-colonel - Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
- Majoor/Major - MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Lower Officer Ranks
- Kapitein-commandant/Capitaine-commandant - Captain-CommandantCaptain-CommandantCaptain-Commandant is a subaltern commissioned officer rank in the Air component, Land component, the old Belgian Gendarmerie and Medical component of the Belgian Armed Forces. A Kapitein-Commandant or Capitaine-Commandant ranks directly above a Captain and immediately under a Major...
- Kapitein/Capitaine - CaptainPolice captain- France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant....
- Luitenant/Lieutenant - LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
- Onderluitenant/Sous-lieutenant - Sub-LieutenantSub-LieutenantSub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
Higher Petty Officer Ranks
- Adjudant-chef - Chief Warrant OfficerChief Warrant OfficerChief warrant officer is a military rank used by the Canadian Forces and the Israel Defence Forces.-Canada:In the Canadian Forces, a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member rank in the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
- Adjudant - Warrant OfficerWarrant OfficerA warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
- 1ste Opperwachtmeester/1é Maréchal des logis-chef - 1st Chief Sergeant
- Opperwachtmeester/Maréchal des logis-chef - Chief Sergeant
Petty Officer Ranks
- 1ste Wachtmeester/1é Maréchal des logis - 1st Sergeant
- Wachtmeester/Maréchal des logis - Sergeant
Ranks in training
- Brigadier/Brigadeer (after 6 months of training) - Senior Constable
- Rijkswachter/Gendarme (first 6 months of training) - Constable
Uniforms
During much of its history the Gendarmerie wore a distinctive dark blue and red uniform with high-collared tunics, white aiguillettes and wide topped kepiKepi
The kepi is a cap with a flat circular top and a visor or peak . Etymologically, the word is a borrowing of the French képi, itself a respelling of the Alemannic Käppi: a diminutive form of Kappe, meaning "cap"....
s, dating from the nineteenth century (see photograph above). This was retained as full dress wear until the late 1960s but was thereafter replaced by a modern uniform comprising a dark blue peaked cap with red piping, dark blue coat with open collar and red Gendarmerie insignia, a light blue shirt with tie, dark blue trousers with red piping (a single stripe on the side of the leg) and the distinctive shoulder rank insignia.
All modern Belgian Police officers wear a "soft" civilian style uniform in keeping with the image required by the Community Oriented Policing-strategy.