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Constabulary

Constabulary may have several definitions.

• A civil, non-paramilitary police force consisting of constables, usually policing rural as opposed to urban areas. This is the usual definition in Great Britain, in which all county police forces once bore the title.

• A civil, paramilitary police force organized and trained along military lines. This is the usual definition in former British territories outside Great Britain itself (e.g. Royal Irish Constabulary , Royal Ulster Constabulary, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, etc.). These were based on the French Gendarmerie, originally consisting of military personnel seconded to or recruited directly to the constabulary or military veterans and later became all civilian forces after they were well established.

• A gendarmerie type force consisting of soldiers trained for police duties. These were mostly established by the United states in the several countries it had protective status over (e.g. Philippine Constabulary, United States Constabulary, Nicaraguan National Guard, Panama National Guard). These forces also performed military functions by maintaining "mobile forces" of organised units.