Constabulary

Constabulary may have several definitions:

• A civil, non-paramilitary (police) force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in Britain, in which all county police forces once bore the title (and some still do).
• A large civil police force organized and trained along military lines, which may contain paramilitary elements. This is the usual definition in places outside of Great Britain (e.g., Royal Irish Constabulary, Royal Ulster Constabulary, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Pennsylvania Constabulary, Jamaica Constabulary Force etc.). These were organizationally based on the French Gendarmerie, originally consisting of military personnel seconded to or military veterans recruited directly to the constabulary and later became all civilian forces after they were well established.
• The title of a military or paramilitary type force consisting of soldiers trained for police duties. Mostly established by the United States in the several countries over which it had protective status (e.g., Philippine Constabulary, United States Constabulary in West Germany after World War II, Nicaraguan National Guard, Panama National Guard). These forces also performed military functions by maintaining "mobile forces" of organised units. In Europe such forces are called Gendarmeries, Carabinieri (in Italy) or Guardia Civil (in Spain).