Royal Corps of Gendarmes

The Royal Corps of Gendarmes (usually referred to merely as the Royal Gendarmes) was a paramilitary law enforcement agency in the Golden Empire and part of the Ministry of Justice. It was charged with policing both military and civilian populations, as well as serving as a supplementary military force in the case of Empire-wide emergency.

Development and creation
From the foundation of the Golden Empire in 87 ABY until 151 ABY, law enforcement was primarily handled at the local level. Officers were appointed with city-, province-, nation-, or planet-wide jurisdiction by authorities at those levels. Planetary law enforcers had authority only on their own systems; when intersystem criminal activity required investigation, the Consuls of the concerned systems would arrange reciprocity agreements allowing each others' police to work in all the systems involved. Major cases were sometimes investigated or led by Centurions of the Order of Keltrayu.

By the 140s, the failure of the system to continue responding to Empire-wide crime was becoming obvious. The Tribulation and the Nightmare War disrupted discussions about how to address the problem, but think tanks continued to address it and finally recommended to the Ministry of Justice that the Royal government form a dedicated law enforcement body with jurisdiction over the entire Empire. Competing models of an entirely civilian body and a gendarmerie went through years more of study, budget analysis, and debate, but the Nightmare War's initial blitz against Dolomir, Klee`shlyoo`hshee, and other worlds were persuasive arguments for a "backup military" force.

A Ministry of Justice commission analyzing the question made reference to the Synno Gendarmes and their success in cleaning up corruption in Synno's spaceports. In 150 ABY, the commission took its recommendation to Queen Rin Sakaros, who decided to include the new gendarmerie among her 65 Reforms.

The first Gendarmes
With the Army, Navy, and Starfighter Corps Military Police units being phased out, all personnel with those classifications were offered retraining and classification in the Royal Gendarmes; those who elected to remain with their services were given retraining in other occupational specialties for which they qualified. Many MPs became instructors for the first classes of new Gendarmes. In addition, instructors were brought in from various planetary law enforcement agencies, including several from the Synno Gendarmes. The Centurion Selish Anteran also contributed to the training.

Training
Enlisted gendarmes (who had the rank of Cadet) spent their first two months training in military discipline, physical fitness, marksmanship, drill, Corps values, and small-unit tactics, in a slightly scaled-down version of the Royal Army's basic training. Following completion of military training, Cadets (who were still not given permanent ranks) went on to three months of law enforcement training, which included Gendarme combatives hand-to-hand combat and self-defense training, instruction on the laws of the Empire, criminal procedure, small arms and less-than-lethal weapons, investigative techniques, and prisoner security. Those who completed both phases of training were sent to field training with more experienced Constables.

Officer Candidates, who were required to have law enforcement experience, were given training in the specific role of the Corps, procedures and techniques used at the sector and Empire levels of law enforcement, and supervision and command, as well as undergoing continuing physical and marksmanship training. Officer training was four months long, and successful candidates were commissioned as Sub-Lieutenants.

Mission
The Royal Gendarmes were the primary law enforcement agency with Empire-wide jurisdiction, supported when necessary by the Order of Keltrayu. Its stated law enforcement missions were: The Corps's investigation of both civilian criminals and military violators meant it had the second broadest jurisdiction of any agency in the Empire, after the Order.
 * Investigating violations of Royal law, including intersystem crime
 * Investigating violations of the military code of the Glorious Armada of the Golden Empire
 * Maintaining databases of criminal organizations and offenders, accessible to planet-level law enforcement agencies
 * Conducting background investigations on behalf of the Royal government
 * Providing additional law enforcement presence in support of planetary law enforcement agencies when necessary
 * Transporting prisoners in Royal custody

In addition to all its law enforcement roles, units of the Gendarmes could be called up to act as secondary infantry for the Royal Army or system defense militias during war. In peacetime, the Corps was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice; Sector Magisters could call up reserves in emergency situations, but Empire-wide movement of the Corps to the Armada's command was accomplished by joint decision of the Minister of Justice and the Prime Legate.

Operations
Gendarmes in the field usually patrolled in pairs or quartets. Though each division maintained a sector headquarters, the Corps had field offices in every and  in the Empire, as well as keeping offices aboard major s of the Royal Navy and on military bases. The most sparsely populated planets had only a company of Gendarmes, while densely populated planets had tens of thousands of officers.

Gendarmes could enlist the aid of other law enforcement agencies when necessary to continue their own investigations. In emergencies, they could commandeer vehicles and equipment from other law enforcement bodies or even civilians. Failure to render reasonable assistance to a Gendarme was itself a crime. The Gendarmes themselves could be "commandeered" in rare cases; Centurions could call Gendarmes to their aid at will, and the Household Guard had absolute and final authority over any matter pertaining to the protection of the Royal Family.

When necessary, Gendarmes supplemented local ground forces, such as controlling protests or providing additional security to major events, such as the Consular Assemblies. The nature of the event determined who had jurisdiction; Gendarme detachments could be temporarily placed under the command of local law enforcement in some circumstances.

Gendarmes could and did board craft traveling from system to system in support of planetary law enforcement agencies and various customs bodies.

Investigation Command
Upon reaching the rank of Corporal or Senior Constable Fourth Class, Gendarmes could volunteer for investigative training. Those who passed the intensive course were given the additional title of Inspector, and conducted investigative operations. Inspectors usually operated in plainclothes and carrying lighter armaments than their patrol colleagues. While all Gendarmes investigated crimes, Inspectors generally did all the undercover work, as well as having primary responsibility for the investigation of major crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping, and treason.

Inspectors were often tasked to manhunts of escaped convicts or bail-jumpers who had evaded even bounty hunters. These hunts could last months or even years, and Inspectors assigned to such cases were generally given a good deal of latitude in pursuing their targets. Those who made a career of fugitive investigations were nicknamed "Hunter Inspectors".

Emergency Response Team
The Gendarmes maintained a special Emergency Response Team for extremely dangerous situations normal Gendarmes were not trained to handle, such as hostage rescue, heavily barricaded subjects, compound assaults, and tactical insertions. ERT members were trained by various special operations units of the Armada, and by Royal Intelligence.

Military training
All Gendarmes, from the Commandant down, participated in monthly military training exercises to ensure they remained capable of acting as infantry if the need arose. Gendarmes with high duty ratings and evaluations were allowed to attend military schools and training camps conducted by the Armada. Some Gendarmes elected to specialize in piloting or other unusual skills and were trained by the Navy or the Starfighter Corps.

When activated for war service, the ranks of the Gendarmes generally carried over to the equivalent pay grades in the Royal Army. However, Senior Constables who had not taken leadership training courses were considered Lance Corporals for field deployment and not regarded as non-commissioned officers. Very senior Gendarme officers were rarely activated into the Army; when they were, they usually served as advisory staff for Legates.

Equipment
Gendarmes generally carried s, s,, and s, as well as specialized tools unique to their assignments. When necessary, they could also carry blaster rifles, grenades, and other heavier weapons. As reserve infantry, they were trained in the use of all weapons employed by the Royal Army Infantry branch. Normal Gendarmes patrolled in uniform, or armor if needed.

The Corps maintained a fleet of ground vehicles, as well as its own transports and shuttles. It had a small number of capital ships, usually used for transporting prisoners.

Enlisted rank structure
The Gendarmes used a military rank structure similar to that used by the Royal Army. Upon reaching the rank of Corporal or Senior Constable, they were eligible for supervisory responsibilities. The ranks of Sergeant and above were considered partially or primarily supervisory roles. As such, beginning at the rank of E-4, there was a parallel rank structure of Senior Constable ranks for those Gendarmes who wished to remain in front-line law enforcement positions without supervisory responsibility. In view of the decreased responsibilities of those in non-supervisory roles, the specialist ranks only went up to E-7.

Senior Constables who later decided to pursue supervisory roles were often allowed to do so, although sometimes they went down a pay grade temporarily (e.g. a Senior Constable Second Class becoming a supervisor might be re-classified as a Sergeant, not a Staff Sergeant).

The Royal Gendarmes were the only military branch in which both officers and enlisted personnel wore rank insignia on shoulder boards.

Commissioned officers
The Corps of Gendarmes was led by a single officer with the rank of Commandant, appointed by the Minister of Justice.

To be eligible for a commissioned officer grade in the Corps, a being had to have met one of two criteria: Successful candidates who passed officer training were installed with the rank of Sub-Lieutenant.
 * A least five years of service in the Royal Corps of Gendarmes, including two at the rank of Sergeant
 * At least eight years of service in a planetary-level law enforcement agency, including three at supervisory rank

Unlike the Royal Army, the scope of the Gendarmerie demanded that all senior officer ranks were at least eligible for command, whether those in the posts held actual command billets. Consequently, the Royal Gendarmes had no advisory ranks equivalent to the High Commands of the Army and the Royal Starfleet.

As the Gendarmes were spread over the entire Empire, yet operating within a centralized structure, they had a command structure which went into higher pay grades than the Armada had previously used. As such, pay grades in other branches of service were adjusted to ensure that officers of equivalent responsibility were earning equivalent pay across the board (and that Legates continued to be paid more than anyone else).

Behind the scenes
The concept of the Royal Gendarmes was inspired by the, the , and the. The Gendarmes' rank insignia were also influenced by.