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In many countries, particularly those with a federal system of government, there may be several
law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
,
police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
or police-like organizations, each serving different levels of government and enforcing different subsets of the applicable law.


List by country


Afghanistan

The
Afghan National Police The Afghan National Police (ANP; ; ), also known as the Afghan Police, is the national police force of the Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, serving as a single law enforcement agency all across the country. The first police officer i ...
is responsible for civilian law enforcement. Once under the control of the Western-backed government of Afghanistan, it was reorganized as a law enforcement arm of the
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
after its takeover of the country in 2021.


Albania

The Albanian State Police serve as the country's primary police force, and one of three policing services managed by Albanian Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Albanian State Police operates various subdivisions depending on purpose. Other ministries also manage a police force, including the
Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...
, the
Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment.


Algeria

Algeria has two police forces, the Directorate General for National Security, which is responsible for policing urban areas, and the
National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie ( ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police (France), National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Minister ...
, a branch of the military, which is responsible for policing rural areas. Algeria also has municipal guards whose primary duty is to protect villages and act as an auxiliary force to the police.


Argentina

In
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
the most important law enforcement organisation is the
Argentine Federal Police The Argentine Federal Police ( or PFA) is the national civil police force of the Argentine federal government. The PFA has detachments throughout the country. Until January 1, 2017, it also acted as the local law enforcement agency in the cap ...
(with a jurisdiction and organization similar to the FBI in the USA) with jurisdiction in all Argentine territories. Argentina is a Federal Republic divided into 23 provinces and one federal district, and as a result, provincial police forces (equivalent to state police in the US) carry out most routine police work, except in the capital city of Buenos Aires (the federal district), which is policed by the
Buenos Aires City Police The Buenos Aires City Police () is the municipal police force of Buenos Aires. History It began operation in 2017 following the merger of the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Police and the city's division of the Argentine Federal Police. The force ...
. A few other cities also have city police forces. The
Argentine National Gendarmerie The Argentine National Gendarmerie (, GNA) is the national gendarmerie force and corps of border guards of the Argentine Republic. As at 2011, It has a strength of 30,000 The gendarmerie is primarily a frontier guard force but also fulfils othe ...
is responsible for border security, securing places of national strategic importance, assisting provincial police forces in maintaining public security in rural areas, and fighting crimes such as drug trafficking, smuggling, and terrorism. The Airport Security Police is responsible for policing duties in national public airports. The
Argentine Naval Prefecture The Argentine Naval Prefecture ( or PNA) is a service of Argentina's Security Ministry charged with protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory. It therefore fulfills the functions of other countries' coast guards, and furthermore acts ...
acts as a
coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...
and polices navigable rivers.


Armenia

The
Police of Armenia The Police of the Republic of Armenia () is the national police of Armenia. History Soviet era The first police service of Armenia was formed in 1918, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the First Republic of Armenia. On April 21, 1920, ...
is the national civilian law enforcement agency of Armenia. It is divided into a police department for the capital city of
Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
and one for each of the 10 marzer, or administrative divisions.


Australia

The majority of policing work is carried out by the police forces of the six states that make up the Australian federation, such as the
New South Wales Police Force The New South Wales Police Force is a law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia, established in 1862. With more than 17,000 police officers, it is the largest police organisation in Australia, policing an area of 801,60 ...
, the
Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victor ...
, the
Queensland Police Service The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...
, the
Western Australian Police The Western Australia Police Force, colloquially WAPOL, provides police services throughout the state of Western Australia to a population of 2.66 million people, of which 2.11 million reside in the Perth Metropolitan Region. Western Australia h ...
, The
South Australian Police South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of South Australia. SAPOL is an independent statutory agency of the Government of South Australia directed by the Commissioner of Po ...
, the
Tasmania Police Tasmania Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian state of Tasmania. Established in 1899, the force has more than 1,300 officers policing Tasmania's population of 571,200 people. History Colonial history Prior to the forma ...
and the
Northern Territory Police The Northern Territory Police Force is the police body that has legal jurisdiction over the Northern Territory of Australia. This police service has 1,607 police members (2021-22 financial year) made up of 83 senior sergeants, 228 sergeants, 912 ...
. The
Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the principal Federal police, federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government responsible for investigating Crime in Australia, crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth ...
are responsible for policing duties in the
Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...
and investigating crimes relating to federal criminal law (particularly crimes with an international dimension) nationwide.


Austria

The policing work is carried out basically by federal agencies. The
Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
''(Bundespolizei)'' is the uniformed force, the investigative work is done by the regional divisions of the Federal Criminal Police Office ''(Bundeskriminalamt)'', the ''Landeskriminalamt''. Besides the federal agencies, some cities have a
Municipal Police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive fundi ...
''(Stadtpolizei)'' as well, having the same power as the federal police only restricted by the city boundaries.


Azerbaijan

The National Police of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is administered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is the civilian police force of Azerbaijan. The Prosecutor's Office is responsible for criminal investigations. The Ministry of Taxes,
Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, Ministry of Emergency Situations, and State Border Service maintain internal investigation offices which are responsible for dealing with crimes in specific areas.


Bahrain

Law enforcement in Bahrain is delegated to the
Public Security Forces The Public Security Forces (PSF), formerly known as the Bahrain State Police, are the principal Bahraini law enforcement arm of the Ministry of Interior. They are commanded by Maj. Gen. Tarek Al Hasan and include all Ministry of Interior field un ...
, which are divided into different units and departments including the police departments of the four
Governorates of Bahrain The Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain is divided into four governorates: the Capital Governorate, Bahrain, Capital, Northern Governorate, Northern, Southern Governorate, Southern and Muharraq Governorate, Muharraq. The Central Governorate, Bahrain, Ce ...
, the
Special Security Force Command The Special Security Force Command () (SSFC) is a paramilitary law enforcement body in Bahrain under the command of the Ministry of the Interior. The SSFC is more commonly referred to as the "Special Security Forces", the "Special Forces", "Bahra ...
, Traffic Police, and Coast Guard. The Public Security Forces are an arm of the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...
.


Bangladesh

The
Bangladesh Police The Bangladesh Police () is the national law enforcement agency of Bangladesh, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs (Bangladesh), Ministry of Home Affairs. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, and enforcement of law and order with ...
is the main law enforcement agency of Bangladesh. It is administered under the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, and enforcement of law and order within Bangladesh. Though the police are primarily concerned with the maintenance of law and order and security of persons and property of individuals, they also play a big role in the criminal justice system.


Barbados

The
Barbados Police Service The Barbados Police Service (TBPS), previously called the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF), is the law enforcement agency in Barbados, as established under the Police Act, Cap. 167. Richard Boyce is currently Commissioner of Police, Commissione ...
(BPS) is the main agency tasked with maintaining local law and order in the country of
Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
. The police force may in times of need call upon the
Barbados Defence Force The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) is the name given to the combined armed forces of Barbados. The BDF was established 15 August 1979, and has responsibility for the territorial defence and internal security of the island. The Headquarters for the ...
(BDF) and/or Regional Security System for additional support.


Belgium

The majority of policing work in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
is carried out by the local police forces. The
Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
is responsible for policing and investigating serious and organized crimes nationwide. Both forces are autonomous and subordinate to different authorities but are linked through common recruiting, training, and logistical support.


Bhutan

The
Royal Bhutan Police The Royal Bhutan Police (; ) is the national police force of the Kingdom of Bhutan. It is responsible for maintaining law and order and prevention of crime in Bhutan. It was formed on 1 September 1965 with 555 personnel reassigned from the Ro ...
is responsible for ordinary policing, and in administering and maintaining the prisons.


Botswana

The
Botswana Police Service The Botswana Police Service is the police service of Botswana and it is a part of Ministry of Defence and Security (Botswana), Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security. The force has 9,500 police officers. History Colonial era The service has its ...
is the sole civilian law enforcement agency of Botswana. It is divided into four regional divisions and seventeen district commands. It has a paramilitary branch, the Special Support Group (SSG), which is run on military lines. The
Botswana Prison Service The Botswana Prison Service (BPS) is the corrections agency of Botswana. It holds pre-trial and convicted prisoners.Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: ''Federacija Bosne i Hercegovine'' / ''Федерација Босне и Херцеговине'') is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities composing Bo ...
and the
Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...
each maintain separate policies on law enforcement. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has ten
cantonal The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the Federated state, member states of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the . Two important ...
police forces, each under the canton's Ministry of Interior, and a federation-wide police force, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Police, which is a specialized force covering specific crimes and those that cross cantonal borders. The Republika Srpska has a single centralized police force. The
Brčko District Brčko District ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Brčko distrikt, Брчко дистрикт, separator=" / "), officially the Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Brčko distrikt Bosne i Hercegovine, Брчко дистрикт Босне ...
has its own police force. Bosnia and Herzegovina has two national law enforcement agencies, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) and the State Border Service.


Brazil

There are two active federal police services: the
Brazilian Federal Police The Federal Police of Brazil () or Department of Federal Police () is a federal law enforcement agency of Brazil and One of the most know nationals Polices forces of the Executive Power of Brazil. Besides with Polícia Rodoviária Federal (Feder ...
and the Brazilian Federal Highway Police. In addition, the
Federal Railroad Police The Brazilian Federal Railroad Police (US English) or Federal Railway Police (British English) () is a police agency founded in 1852 which is responsible for patrols and security on federal railways in Brazil. According to Federal Marshalls, the ...
exists on paper but has been inactive for years. Each
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
has Military Police/''
Polícia Militar Military Police are the police uniform, uniformed Preventive police, preventive state police of the States of Brazil, states and of the Federal District (Brazil), Federal District of Brazil. The Military Police units are the main ostensive police ...
'' and Civil Police/'' Polícia Civil'', both under the command of the state's governor. Despite their names, the Military Police are public order police, and the Civil Police investigative police. Lastly, more than 1200 cities have
Municipal Guards Municipal Guards (), also called the Municipal Civil Guards (''Guardas Civis Municipais'', singular: ''Municipal Civil Guard''), are the Municipal police forces of municipalities (cities) of Brazil. They are subordinated to the municipality mayo ...
. The armed forces have their own provost services.


Bulgaria

A number of law enforcement agencies operate in
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
. The
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...
oversees the National Police Service is in charge of regular policing, the Central Office for Combating Organized Crime, which investigates organized crime and terrorism, the
National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie ( ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police (France), National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Minister ...
, and the Border Police Service. The National Investigative Service, which investigates serious crimes, is part of the judicial system.


Burundi

The National Police of Burundi is the lone civilian police service responsible for law enforcement across the country. It is divided into numerous branches including: * Internal Security Police (Police de sécurité intérieure) * Judicial Police (Police judiciaire) * Air Police (Police de l'Air) * Border and Aliens Police (Police des frontières et des étrangers) ( Prison Police (Police pénitentiaire)


Cambodia

The National Police of Cambodia (''Nokorbal Chéat'') is Cambodia's police force which is under the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...
. It is divided into four autonomous units and five central departments. The Royal Gendarmerie of Cambodia serves as Cambodia's military police force, and has internal security functions such as counter-terrorism, countering violent groups, and suppressing prison riots.


Canada

In Canada, the development of criminal legislation falls under federal jurisdiction, but the enforcement of these laws is generally a provincial responsibility. In contrast to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
or
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
, there are only two specialized criminal law enforcement agencies in Canada, and the vast majority of criminal law enforcement is conducted by local police services, which maintain specialized criminal investigation units in addition to their community safety mandate. Other law enforcement is provided by special constabularies, which typically provide specialized police services to transit systems, universities, parks, and municipalities, and civil law enforcement agencies, which usually do not have a policing role. Every province in Canada, with the exception of
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
, downloads the responsibility for local policing onto municipalities, which can operate their own police forces, share regional police services with surrounding communities, or enter into a contract with the provincial government for police services. Some
First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
can also establish independent police services, funded entirely by the provincial and federal governments, but these services have been historically underfunded compared to non-Indigenous police forces and the program that funds Indigenous police agencies was under review as of 2022. Since the 1990s, an increasing share of Canadian police forces and municipalities have adopted tiered police service delivery models, which reduce the responsibilities of police services by off-loading certain duties — such as forensic investigations, mental health crisis response, traffic enforcement, or low-risk calls for service — to non-police specialists or unarmed peace officers. There is also a federal police force, the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
(RCMP; French: ''Gendarmerie Royale du Canada; GRC''), responsible for the enforcement of criminal legislation that concerns the entire federation, such as anti-terrorism operations; border patrols between official crossings; several police-related programs, such as the Canadian Police College and
Canadian Firearms Program Canadian Firearms Program (CFP; ), formerly Canada Firearms Centre is a Canadian government program within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Policing Support Services, responsible for licensing and regulating firearms in Canada. As of December 3 ...
; domestic counter-espionage with the assistance of the
Canadian Security Intelligence Service The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS, ; , ''SCRS'') is a Intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service and security agency of the Government of Canada, federal government of Canada. It is responsible for gathering, processing, a ...
; and, uniquely and controversially, the delivery of provincial and municipal police services under contract. The RCMP provides contracted police services to eight provinces, all three Canadian territories, around 600 Indigenous communities, and about 150 municipalities directly.


China, People's Republic of China

In the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
(PRC), civilian police is mainly done by the People's Police, a branch within the
Ministry of Public Security Ministry of Public Security can refer to: * Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Brazil) * Ministry of Public Security of Burundi * Ministry of Public Security (Chile) * Ministry of Public Security (China) * Ministry of Public Security of Co ...
organs, typically through local public security bureaus (PSBs) all under the
Ministry of Public Security Ministry of Public Security can refer to: * Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Brazil) * Ministry of Public Security of Burundi * Ministry of Public Security (Chile) * Ministry of Public Security (China) * Ministry of Public Security of Co ...
(MPS), with the assistance of the paramilitary force, the
People's Armed Police ) , abbreviation = PAP ("People's Armed Police") CAPF ("Chinese Armed Police Force"), formerly abbreviated''Wujing'' ( zh , s = 武警 , p = Wǔjǐng , l = Armed Police , labels = no ), or WJ as on vehicle license plates , patch ...
(PAP). The PAP, including the
China Coast Guard The China Coast Guard (CCG) () is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the People's Armed Police (PAP) of China. The Coast Guard is an armed gendarmerie force (of corps grade), and its cutters are ...
(CCG), is under the sole administration of the
Central Military Commission Central Military Commission may refer to: *Central Military Commission (China), the highest national defense organization in the People's Republic of China. *Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the highest body in Vietnam ...
(CMC) from 2018. The People's Police has two other executive branches under the Ministry of State Security (MSS) and the
Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
(MOJ), as well as two Judicial Police branches under the
Supreme People's Court The Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China (SPC) is the highest court of the People's Republic of China. It hears appeals of cases from the high people's courts and is the trial court for cases about matters of national ...
(SPC) and the
Supreme People's Procuratorate The Supreme People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China (SPP) is the highest national agency responsible for legal prosecution and prosecutorial investigation in China. The SPP reports to the National People's Congress (NPC). The P ...
(SPP),


Hong Kong

As a
special administrative region of China The special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China are one of four types of Province-level divisions of China, province-level divisions of the China, People's Republic of China directly under the control of its S ...
,
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
maintains a high degree of autonomy from the Central Government of the PRC, such as maintaining its own law enforcement service. The
Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. Pursuant to the one c ...
() operate under local legislations and the
Hong Kong Basic Law The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is a national law of China that serves as the organic law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). With nine chapters, 160 article ...
and within the traditional constabulary concept of preserving life and property, preventing and detecting crime and keeping the peace. For times of emergency the force has a paramilitary capability. The
Commissioner of Police A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...
reports to the
Secretary for Security The Secretary for Security is the member of the Government of Hong Kong in charge of the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau, which is responsible for public safety, security, and immigration matters. The post was created in 1973 a ...
, who is responsible for all disciplined services in Hong Kong.


Macau

As a
special administrative region of China The special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China are one of four types of Province-level divisions of China, province-level divisions of the China, People's Republic of China directly under the control of its S ...
,
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
maintains a high degree of autonomy from the Central Government of the PRC, such as maintaining its own law enforcement service. There are two branches of police forces in Macau: # ''Corpo de Polícia de Segurança Pública'' (CPSP – Public Security Police Force) – a civil uniformed police force, responsible for rule and order in the entire territory. # ''Polícia Judiciária'' (PJ – Judiciary Police) – responsible for major criminal investigations. In addition, ''Serviços de Polícia Unitários'' (SPU – Unitary Police Service) leads, commands and coordinates the anti-crime operations carried out by CPSP and PJ.


Colombia

The
National Police of Colombia The National Police of Colombia () is the law enforcement agency#natpol, national police force of the Republic of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia (Army, Navy, and Aerospace Force), it const ...
(Spanish: Policía Nacional de Colombia) is the national police force of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia (Army, Navy, and Air Force), it constitutes along with them the "Public Force" and is also controlled by the Ministry of Defense. Unlike many nations that use a tiered system of law enforcement, the National Police is the only civilian police force in Colombia. The force's official functions are to protect the Colombian nation, enforce the law by constitutional mandate, maintain and guarantee the necessary conditions for public freedoms and rights and ensure peaceful cohabitation among the population. For these purposes, the police have rural police divisions (the "carabineros"), traffic police, investigations, anti-drugs, intelligence, citizen security, internal control, among others. The police force divides its functions into local and departmental deconcentrated units, such as the police departments (which act as departmental police forces and in some geographical areas under the command of the governors) and the metropolitan police forces that operate in the main cities; there are also
police station A police station is a facility operated by police or a similar law enforcement agency that serves to accommodate police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The role served by a police station varies by agency, type, and jurisdiction, ...
s in each
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
and the police officers who operate within these are under the command of the respective mayor's office. Annual budget US$3.6 to 4 billion There are 147,000 employees. Although in Colombia the main force for compliance with civil law is the National Police and its divisions, there are other smaller units such as the Colombia Migration Unit in charge of the
Foreign Ministry In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral re ...
, the Technical Investigation Corps in charge of the Attorney General's Office, and some local transit agents who fulfill some law enforcement functions in their respective areas.


Costa Rica

The
Public Force of Costa Rica The Public Force of Costa Rica () is the national law enforcement agency of Costa Rica, whose duties include internal security and border control. History On 1 December 1948, the President of Costa Rica, José Figueres Ferrer, abolished the C ...
is responsible for law enforcement duties, acting as both a civilian police force and gendarmerie. In addition to ordinary policing, it is responsible for border patrol, counter-insurgency, riot control, tourism security, and coast guard duties.


Cuba

Law enforcement in Cuba is the responsibility of the 
National Revolutionary Police Force The National Revolutionary Police Force (, PNR) is law enforcement in Cuba, under the administration of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior. Article 65 of the Cuban Constitution states that "defense of the socialist motherland is every Cuban's ...
 (Spanish: Policía Nacional Revolucionaria, PNR) under the administration of the  Cuban Ministry of the Interior, which in turn reports to the 
Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
. The PNR is responsible for uniform policing, criminal investigation, crime prevention, juvenile delinquency, and traffic control across the 14 provinces of Cuba. In addition, the PNR is supported by the 
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (), or CDR, are a network of neighborhood committees across Cuba. The organizations, described as the "eyes and ears of the Revolution," exist to help support local communities and report on "counte ...
 (CDR), a network of neighborhood committees across the country, which provide, among other community services, a nightly neighborhood watch.


Cyprus

The
Cyprus Police The Cyprus Police (, ''i''), is the national police service of the Republic of Cyprus, falling under the Ministry of Justice and Public Order since 1993. The duties and responsibilities of the Cyprus police are set out in the amended Police La ...
is responsible for civilian law enforcement. Its specialized units include the
Cyprus Police Aviation Unit The Cyprus Police Aviation Unit (CPAU) (, is the police aviation unit of the Headquarters of Cyprus Police, the national police of the Republic of Cyprus and was established on 10 June 2008, having previously operated as the Cyprus Police Air Win ...
, the
Cyprus Port and Marine Police The Cyprus Port & Marine Police (, ) is the marine police and the civilian Coast Guard wing of the Cyprus Police. The coast guard are tasked with the primary mission of law enforcement of the waters around, and control of the sea borders of the R ...
, the Emergency Response Unit, and Presidential Guard. The Cyprus Prisons Department guards inmates.


Czech Republic

The main law enforcement agency in the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
is the '' Policie ČR'', charged with making arrests, investigating crimes, ensuring road and highway security, and other standard policing tasks. Directed by the ''Policejní prezident'', who holds a rank of
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
or general, policie officers hold ranks similar to those of the military. At the municipal level, city police (''Městská policie'') are funded and directed locally. Sizes of local forces vary and officers have only limited law-enforcement powers, such as traffic enforcement; they can make arrests and must call on the national police to handle serious problems.


Denmark

The main law enforcement agency is the
Police of Denmark The Police of Denmark (, , ) is the Danish National Police force, and the interior part of the Danish security forces (the Danish military being the exterior) in the Kingdom ( The Danish Realm: Denmark (proper), Greenland, Faroe Islands). ...
(da: ''Politiet''), under the Danish Ministry of Justice, including 12 common police districts, the state nationwide police force ''
Rigspolitiet The National Police of Denmark (, , ) is the upper most level of the police of Denmark within the Danish Realm. Administered by a framework of laws dictated by the Folketing (Danish Parliament) and the government's Minister for Justice, Rigspol ...
'', the national intelligence service ''
Politiets Efterretningstjeneste The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (DSIS; (PET)) is the national security and intelligence agency of Denmark. The agency focuses solely on national security while foreign intelligence operations are handled by the Danish Defense Intel ...
'' and the special tactical forces '' Politiets Aktionsstyrke''. Further more a Danish military police branch (da: ''Militærpolitiet'') and Danish home guard unit '' Politihjemmeværnet'' exists.


El Salvador

Law enforcement in El Salvador is a national civilian police. It covers the Salvadoran territory, and it has five divisions (Traffic, Tourism, General Inspection, Community, and its academy). The National Civil Police was constituted on the Article 159 to establish after the Salvadoran Civil War, and maintained by the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety.


Egypt

The
Egyptian National Police Egyptian National Police or ENP is the national police force of Egypt responsible for law enforcement. It is a department in the Ministry of Interior. National organization The Ministry of Interior divides the functions of the police and public ...
, a department of the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...
, is responsible for law enforcement in Egypt. The
Central Security Forces The General Security and Central Security Forces (, often shortened to ) is an Egyptian paramilitary force which is responsible for assisting the Egyptian National Police (ENP) for the security of governmental fixed sites, foreign embassies & m ...
, a paramilitary force, is responsible for assisting the police. The
Egyptian Army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...
also has a Military Police Corps divided into 24 battalions.


Estonia

Law enforcement in Estonia is carried out by the
Police and Border Guard Board The Police and Border Guard Board () is a unified national governmental agency within the Estonian Ministry of Interior and is responsible for law enforcement and internal security in the Republic of Estonia. The main tasks of the agency are to ...
, an agency of the Estonian Interior Ministry. It is divided into the Estonian Police and Estonian Border Guard. The Estonian Police, responsible for civilian law enforcement, is divided into four territorial police units called prefectures and three national units: the Central Criminal Police, the Central Law Enforcement and the Forensic Service Center. The Estonian Border Guard is an armed organization charged with protecting the nation's borders on land and sea.


Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Federal Police is the federal law enforcement agency of Ethiopia. It maintains law and order at the federal level, including riot control, and investigates organized crime. The
regions of Ethiopia Ethiopia is a federation subdivided into ethno-linguistically based regional states (Amharic: plural: ክልሎች ''kililoch''; singular: ክልል ''kilil''; Oromo language, Oromo: singular: ''Naannoo''; plural: ''Naannolee'') and charter ...
maintain their own regional police commissions. The Ethiopian Federal Police provides operational support to the regional police commissions, coordinates between them, and sets national policing standards.


Fiji

Fiji has a unified national police force, the Fiji Police, responsible for law enforcement throughout the country. The only other police force is a local police service on Rabi Island.


Finland

Law enforcement in
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
is under the jurisdiction of the Finnish Police. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) () is a national unit tasked with "crime prevention and provision of expert services." Civil protection, including counter-terrorism, is handled by The
Finnish Security Intelligence Service The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (, ; , ), formerly the Finnish Security Police and Finnish Security Intelligence Service, is the Security agency, security and intelligence agency of Finland in charge of national security, such as Co ...
(FSIS) ().


France

France has two national police forces, the National Police and
National Gendarmerie The National Gendarmerie ( ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police (France), National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Minister ...
. The National Police is the main civil law enforcement agency in France, with primary jurisdiction in cities and large towns. The National Gendarmerie, a branch of the
French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' milita ...
under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...
, polices smaller towns, rural, and suburban areas. About 3,500 municipalities also employ
municipal police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive fundi ...
, who are under the direct authority of the mayor. The national capital Paris is policed by the
Paris Police Prefecture The Paris Police Prefecture ( ), officially the Police Prefecture (), is the unit of the French Minister of the Interior (France), Ministry of the Interior that provides police, emergency services, and various administrative services to the po ...
, a subdivision of the Ministry of the Interior. Some rural communes also have a ''
Garde champêtre A () is the combination of a forest ranger, game warden and Code Enforcement, code enforcement officer in certain rural communes in France. Organization Their job is to report to the local mayor. Many of these officers carry firearms (they co ...
'', or rural guard, responsible for limited local patrol and environmental protection. Only certain designated police officers within the two national police forces have the power to conduct criminal investigations, which are supervised by investigative magistrates.


Georgia

The Georgian Police, which is a division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is responsible for law enforcement in Georgia.


Germany

Germany is a
federal republic A federal republic is a federation of Federated state, states with a republican form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means a country that is governed by elected re ...
of sixteen
States State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
''(Land)''. Each one of those States has its own police force called
Landespolizei ; ) is a term used to refer to the state police of any of the states of Germany. History The of today can trace its origins to the late 19th century, when Germany united into a single country in 1871, under Otto von Bismarck. Various ...
(State Police), that provides basic law enforcement and crime fighting services. Each ''Landespolizei'' is supervised by the respective State Minister (or, in the City States of
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
,
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
and
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, the Senator) of Internal Affairs. The Federal authorities have law enforcement agencies as well: * the '' Bundeskriminalamt'' (''BKA'', "Federal Criminal Police Office") which is only responsible for cases which are exceeding the borders of a single State, or for cases of international dimension. * the uniformed '' Bundespolizei'' (BPOL, in casual language also ''BuPo''; "Federal Police"). Until 2005, the BPOL was called ''Bundesgrenzschutz'' ("Federal Border Protection"), but after expanded competences (e.g. for the railways) in the 1990s and the abolition of border controls in the European Union, its name was changed to emphasize the law enforcement nature of the corps in an international context. Depending on the state's laws, the German cities also provide policing agencies like ''
Stadtpolizei Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive fundi ...
'' (Municipal Police) or '' Ordnungsamt'' (local bylaw agency).


Ghana

The
Ghana Police Service The Ghana Police Service (GPS) is the main law enforcement agency of Ghana. The service is under the control of the Ghanaian Ministry of the Interior, and employs over 30,000 officers across its 651 stations. Organisational structure The Ghana P ...
is the main law enforcement agency of Ghana. It is organized at the national level and is divided into regional commands which report to National Headquarters. The Bureau of National Investigations is responsible for countering organized crime and financial crime, espionage, sabotage, terrorism, hijacking, piracy, and drug trafficking.


Greece

The Hellenic Police Force (; ) is the police force of the
Hellenic Republic Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. Tourism Police are an integral part of the Hellenic Police (ELAS), consisting of men and women specially trained and competent to offer tourists information and help, whenever they have any problems. They are trained in resolving minor differences between tourists and commercial enterprises. They all speak foreign languages, including English. They are distinguished by a shoulder badge displaying Tourism Police on their uniforms.


Guatemala

Civilian law enforcement is the responsibility of the national police force, the Policia Nacional Civil (PNC), which is divided into departments. The
Armed Forces of Guatemala The Guatemalan Armed Forces () is the unified military organization comprising the Guatemalan Army, Navy, Air Force, and Presidential Honor Guard. The president of Guatemala is the commander-in-chief of the military, and formulates policy, tra ...
assist the civilian police in law enforcement tasks.


Hungary

Law enforcement in Hungary was formerly split between the Police (Rendőrség), Border Guards, and the Customs and Excise Authority. In 2008, the border guards were merged with the police service. The police force is maintained by the
Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
.


Iceland

The
Icelandic Police In Iceland, the Police (, ) is the national police force of Iceland. It is responsible for law enforcement throughout the country, except in Icelandic territorial waters which fall under the jurisdiction of the Icelandic Coast Guard. Police affa ...
(''Lögreglan'') is Iceland's police force which is under the Ministry of the Interior. The National Commissioner is the overall commander, but he answers to the minister. The police is divided into 9 districts. Iceland also has a Directorate of Customs (''Tollgæslan''), whose job is to watch and guard imports and exports and more, which is under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs. Icelandic police constables generally do not carry firearms, instead they carry telescopic batons and
pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, mace, or capsicum spray is a Tear gas, lachrymator (tear gas) product containing as its active ingredient the chemical compound capsaicin, which irritates the eyes with burning ...
. The National Commissioner has a Special operations unit which is called the Viking Squad (''Víkingasveitin'').


India

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
has numerous
law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
. At the federal Union level, the agencies are part of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, and support the states in their duties. India's federal police services controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs are known as the
Central Armed Police Forces The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) consist of seven armed police organizations under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, tasked with maintaining internal security, law and order, counterinsurgency, and protecting borde ...
and consist of the
Border Security Force The Border Security Force (BSF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was formed in the wake of the Indo-Pak War of 196 ...
,
Central Industrial Security Force The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. CISF's primary mission is to provide security to large institutions, be it state or privately-owned. It was set up unde ...
,
Central Reserve Police Force The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The CRPF assists states and Union Territories in maintaining law and order and internal security. It is composed of the Cent ...
,
Indo-Tibetan Border Police The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a Central Armed Police Forces, central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding Border guard, India’s border with ...
,
National Security Guard The National Security Guard (NSG) is a central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is the primary counter-terrorism force of the Government of India. It was founded on 16 October 1984, following Operation Blue ...
, and
Sashastra Seema Bal The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB; ) is a Central Armed Police Forces, central armed police force in India under the Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs. It is responsible for guarding Border guard, India’s borders with Indi ...
. Three other
civil services The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
with law enforcement tasks - the
Indian Police Service The Indian Police Service (IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became Partition of India, independent from the British Empire. Along with the Indian Admini ...
,
Indian Forest Service The Indian Forest Service (IFS) is the premier forest service of India. .The IFS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) & the Indian Police Service (IPS). It was constituted in the year 1966 un ...
, and
Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...
, are considered the
All India Services The All India Services (AIS) comprises three Civil Services of India common to the centre and state governments, which includes the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Police Service (IPS), and the Indian Forest Service (IFS). ...
: they are recruited at the federal level but serve under both the federal government and the states and union territories and also
Indian Revenue Service The Indian Revenue Service (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ), often abbreviated as IRS, is a civil service that is primarily responsible for tax collection, collecting and administering Direct tax, direct and indir ...
, are considered the Central Civil Services: they are recruited and serve under federal level only. There are numerous other federal law enforcement agencies, including the
Central Bureau of Investigation The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the domestic crime investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and gover ...
,
National Investigation Agency The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is the principal counter-terrorism law enforcement agency in India. Established under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, it is tasked with investigating and combating offenses related to terroris ...
, and
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) is the apex anti-smuggling intelligence, investigations and operations agency in India. The Directorate is run by officers from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) who are posted ...
. Since the federal nature of the Constitution of India mandates law and order and police as a subject of the state, therefore the bulk of the policing lies with the respective states and union territories. Each state and union territory (UT) has its own police force, which operates under the supervision and control of the respective state or UT's Home Department. These police forces are headed by a Director General of Police (DGP), who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. Bigger cities operate their own metropolitan police services, also under the state. Apart from the police, state governments also have law enforcement agencies such as the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Excise and Prohibition Department, Forest and Wildlife Department, and Motor Vehicles Department.


Indonesia

Law enforcement in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
is mainly performed by the
Indonesian National Police The Indonesian National Police (, abbreviated as POLRI) is the national law enforcement and police force of the Republic of Indonesia. Founded on 1 July 1946, it was formerly a part of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, country's military si ...
(POLRI), together with other law enforement agencies such as the
Indonesia Forest Rangers The Indonesian Forest Rangers (, abbreviated "") is a park ranger civil service within the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia. It serves on a national and regional level in the country. Polhut is a dedicated unit in the Ministry ...
, Remote Islands and Coastal Development Police, and Agricultural and Animal Quarantine Police, which are under the command of a certain ministry or
State-owned company A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a business entity created or owned by a national or local government, either through an executive order or legislation. SOEs aim to generate profit for the government, prevent private sector monopolies, provide goo ...
(BUMN) which perform policing duties for a certain
public service A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing available to private busin ...
, these law enforcement agencies are under supervision and are trained by the Indonesian National Police. The Indonesian National Police is basically the
national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...
civilian police The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the safety, health, and possessions of citizens ...
force of the country responsible for enforcing law and order of the state. There are also
municipal police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive fundi ...
units controlled by local governments. The Indonesian military maintains a Military Police Corps.


Iran

The Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the civil law enforcement agency of Iran. It has numerous agencies including the Prevention Police,
Security Police Security police usually describes a law enforcement agency which focuses primarily on providing security and law enforcement services to particular areas or specific properties. They may be employed by governmental, public, or private institutio ...
,
Traffic Police Traffic police (also known as traffic officers, traffic enforcement units, traffic cops, traffic monitors, or traffic enforcers) are units and Law enforcement agency, agencies who enforce Traffic#Rules of the road, traffic laws and Road traffic ...
, Cyber Police, Anti-Narcotics Police,
Criminal Investigation Department The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes criminal investigation, detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is disti ...
, and Special Units. The
Guidance Patrol The Guidance Patrol () or morality police is an Islamic religious police force and vice squad in the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its role is to enforce Sharia law as defined by Iranian legislation, with a particula ...
enforces Iranian dress code laws. All military police agencies are overseen by the Central Provost of Islamic Republic of Iran Army.


Iraq

The
Iraqi Police The Iraqi Police (IP) is the uniformed police force responsible for the enforcement of civil law in Iraq. Its organisation, structure and recruitment were guided by the Coalition Provisional Authority after the 2003 American invasion of Iraq, ...
is the law enforcement agency of federal Iraq.
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
has a separate police force.


Ireland

The Irish Police force, the
Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...
, translates to "Guardians of the Peace of Ireland". The state has one nationwide police force. All routinely uniformed officers are unarmed. The strength of the Garda Síochána is approximately 12,000 officers, of which 3,000 are licensed to carry firearms. The Garda Síochána operates a number of specialist units including the GASU (Garda Air Support Unit, consisting of two helicopters and a BN-2A aircraft operated by the
Irish Air Corps The Air Corps () is the air force of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Organisationally a military branch of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Ireland, the Air Corps utilises a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft to carry out ...
from
Casement Aerodrome Casement Aerodrome () or Baldonnel Aerodrome is a military airbase to the southwest of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland situated off the N7 road (Ireland), N7 main roads in Ireland, road route to the south and south west. It is the headquar ...
), Mounted Unit, Dog Unit, Public Order Unit and the anti-terrorism
Special Detective Unit The Special Detective Unit (SDU) () is the main domestic security agency of the ''Garda Síochána'', the national police force of Ireland, under the aegis of the Crime & Security Branch (CSB). It is the primary counter-terrorism and counter-es ...
. It has a central command and control system for major city areas. Uniformed Gardaí wear stab-proof body armour and carry expandable ASP batons, handcuffs and pepper spray all introduced by the new Garda Inspectorate. Armed support units include regional Armed Support Units (ASU) and the national Emergency Response Unit (ERU), which are comparable to American SWAT or British CO19 and operate a variety of lethal and non-lethal devices. All Gardaí (Police Officers) who train as detectives carry a sidearm.


Israel

The
Israel Police The Israel Police (; ) is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safety, and counter-terrorism. It is under the jurisdiction o ...
(''Mishteret Yisra'el'') is the national police force of the State of Israel, responsible for civilian law enforcement. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security. The Israel Police has a traffic enforcement arm, the National Traffic Police, as well as the Civil Guard ("Mishmar Ezrahi"), a police unit made up of part-time volunteer officers. It also has a gendarme force, the
Israel Border Police The Israel Border Police () is the gendarmerie and border security branch of the Israel National Police. It is also commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Magav (), meaning border guard; its members are colloquially known as ''magavnikim ...
(MAGAV), which has its own elite counter-terrorist units. The Military Police Corps serves as the military police force of the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
, responsible for law enforcement among soldiers and guarding military prisons. The
Israel Prison Service The Israel Prison Service (, ''Sherut Batei HaSohar'', , ''Idārat al-Sujūn al-Isrā’īlīyyah''), known in Israel by its acronym Shabas () or IPS in English, is the state (polity), state agency responsible for overseeing prisons in Israel. It ...
oversees the Israeli civilian prison system. Dozens of municipalities maintain their own municipal enforcement units, which are intended to deal with low-level offenses such as petty theft, vandalism, and noise complaints. The personnel of such units, who are called municipal inspectors, do not have arrest powers, but they may issue fines and detain suspects until the police arrive.


Italy

Law enforcement in Italy is mainly carried out by different agencies, depending on felony and jurisdiction. On a national level, four police forces operate. The '' Arma dei Carabinieri'' (
gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
), the ''
Polizia di Stato The (State Police or P.S.) is one of the national Law enforcement in Italy, police forces of Italy. Alongside the Carabinieri, it is the main police force for providing police duties, primarily to cities and large towns, and with its child agen ...
'' (national civilian police) and the ''
Guardia di Finanza The Guardia di Finanza (; G. di F. or GdF; or ) is an Italian militarised law enforcement agency under the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy), Ministry of Economy and Finance, instead of the Ministry of Defence (Italy), Ministry of Defence ...
'' (customs police, border police and financial police with military status); are the main forces, the only ones with full powers. There are also the ''
Polizia Penitenziaria The Polizia Penitenziaria (English: Prison Police), formally the Corpo di Polizia Penitenziaria, is a Law enforcement in Italy, law enforcement agency in Italy which is subordinate to the Ministry of Justice (Italy), Italian Ministry of Justice ...
'' ( prison service), in charge of keeping order in the prison system. Locally, with jurisdiction only in little felonies, There are also '' Polizia Provinciale'' in some of the 109
provinces of Italy The provinces of Italy ( ; Grammatical number#Overview, sing.  ) are the second-level administrative divisions of the Italy, Italian Republic, on an intermediate level between a municipality () and a regions of Italy, region (). Since 2015 ...
, and '' Polizia Municipale'' in every
comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
. Even though they support other forces in drug dealing and thefts, their primary function is to patrol streets and prevent felonies. They have full police power in their jurisdiction and they also can do investigation. The ''
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...
'' and ''
Guardia di Finanza The Guardia di Finanza (; G. di F. or GdF; or ) is an Italian militarised law enforcement agency under the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy), Ministry of Economy and Finance, instead of the Ministry of Defence (Italy), Ministry of Defence ...
'' are organized as a military force. In recent years, ''
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...
'' units have been dispatched all over the world in peacekeeping missions, including
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
, Afghanistan and
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. On a daily basis, calling the 112 emergency number only Polizia or carabinieri will answer as they are the only forces in charge of "Pronto Intervento" (non-sanitarian Emergency) and public safety.


Japan

Japan's
prefectural police department In the law enforcement system in Japan, are prefecture-level law enforcement agencies responsible for policing, law enforcement, and public security within their respective prefectures of Japan. Although prefectural police are, in principle, re ...
s, which are responsible for policing their respective
prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...
, are overseen by the
National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: National Revolut ...
, and free of direct central government executive control. They are checked by an
independent judiciary Judicial independence is the concept that the judiciary should be independent from the other branches of government. That is, courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government or from private or partisan inte ...
and monitored by a free and active press. The police are generally well respected and can rely on considerable public cooperation in their work. There are also "special judicial police officers", consisting of the
Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...
, a
security police Security police usually describes a law enforcement agency which focuses primarily on providing security and law enforcement services to particular areas or specific properties. They may be employed by governmental, public, or private institutio ...
force of the National Police Agency which protects the Imperial family and Imperial properties, prison guards, who are employees of the Ministry of Justice, narcotics agents and Labor Standards Inspectors of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, authorized fisheries inspectors and officers of Regional Forest Offices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, military police officers of the
Japan Self-Defense Forces The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense ...
, and
Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard responsible for the protection of the Geography of Japan#Composition, topography and geography, coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It consists of about ...
officers.


Jordan

Law enforcement is carried out by the Public Security Directorate, the national police force which lies under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior.


Kenya

The
Kenya Police The Kenya Police Service is a national body in charge of law enforcement in Kenya. It is subordinate to the National Police Service which is headed by an Inspector General of Police who exercises independent command over the Service. Kenya Po ...
is responsible for civilian law enforcement. It maintains a number of specialized branches: * Administration Police - Responsible for protective and border security services along with countering cattle theft and banditry *
Criminal Investigation Department The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes criminal investigation, detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is disti ...
- Investigates complex cases * General Service Unit - A paramilitary wing of the police The
Kenya Wildlife Service Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is a state corporation under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife established by an act of Parliament; Wildlife Conservation and Management Act CAP 376, of 1989, now repealed and replaced by the Wildlife Conservation ...
is responsible for wildlife conservation and protection, particularly against poaching, and the Kenya Forest Service protects the forests and enforces revenue measures for exploitation of forest products. The Kenya Prison Service is responsible for guarding prisons.


Lebanon

Law enforcement in Lebanon is the responsibility of the
Internal Security Forces The Internal Security Forces (; ; abbreviated ISF) are the national police and gendarmerie of Lebanon. Modern police were established in Lebanon in 1861, with the creation of a gendarmerie force. In April 2005, Ashraf Rifi became head of the I ...
.


Luxembourg

The
Grand Ducal Police The Grand Ducal Police (, , ) is the national police force of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The police is under the control of the Minister for the Interior of Luxembourg, although they operate in the name, and under the ultimate control, o ...
(French: ''Police Grand-Ducale''; Luxembourgish: ''Groussherzoglech Police'' or simply ''d'Police'') is since 1 January 2000 the sole law enforcement agency in the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg ...
. The Police is under the authority of the Luxem-bourgish Minister for Public Security, although it operates in the name, and under the ultimate (ceremonial) control of the head of state, the
Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: * in ...
of Luxembourg. Previously, the Luxembourgish law enforcement agencies (as well as the Army) were under the command of the Minister of Public Force, a cabinet post that no longer exists. The Grand Ducal Police was created in its current form on 1 January 2000, when the Grand Ducal Gendarmerie merged with the State-controlled local police forces. The Grand Ducal Police is responsible for ensuring Luxembourg's internal security, fighting crime and corruption, maintaining law and order and enforcing all laws and
Grand Ducal decree The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was created from territory of the former Duchy of Luxembourg. It was in personal union with the United Kingdom of t ...
s. It is also responsible for assisting the Luxembourgish Army in its internal (war-time) operations, in accordance with the respective legislation and under the authority of the national Commander-in-Chief, the Grand Duke. Municipal regulations are enforced by "Municipal agents" (French: ''Agents municipaux''; Luxembourgish: ''Gemengenagenten''), who are partly uniformed but always unarmed municipal employees (no police officers) with strictly limited enforcement powers.


Lithuania

Law enforcement in Lithuania is the responsibility of a unified national police force, the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau, which is under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry. From the Police Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is led by the Police Commissar General, the police force branches out to the National and Municipal Police. The National Police is composed of the criminal police, traffic police, public security force and public police.


Malaysia

The
Royal Malaysian Police The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) (; Jawi: ), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation, and its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The ...
or '' Polis Diraja Malaysia'' in Malay is a main branch of security forces in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. Established on 25 March 1807, the force is a centralized organization that has a gamut of roles that ranges from traffic control to intelligence. Its headquarters is located in Bukit Aman,
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
and divided into 14 state police, including two on East Malaysia consist of Sabah State Police and Sarawak State Police. During the emergency period, the force is a major security forces to track down the communists. The force has seven departments, which consist of 2 tasked with police management and logistic with 5 tasked for multi-crimes prevented, intelligence and security service. The
riot control Riot control is a form of public order policing used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to social control, control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful Demonstration (people), demonstration ...
force known as
Federal Reserve Unit The Federal Reserve Unit (), or better known by the abbreviation as FRU, is a riot control force and a paramilitary special response team that can be deployed at any time to engage in any emergency or public unrest in Malaysia. History The te ...
makes up part of the police force. In addition to the Federal Reserve Unit, the Police maintain 2 paramilitary divisions: the General Operations Forces, which includes the
Senoi Praaq The Senoi Praaq (''War People'', ) is a unit of the Royal Malaysia Police made up almost entirely of the tribal people of Peninsular Malaysia known as the Orang Asli (aborigines). The name Senoi Praaq means ''war people'' or ''those who fight'' ...
which grew out of the Emergency Jungle Squads, and the special force: the
Pasukan Gerakan Khas ''Pasukan Gerakan Khas'' (Abbreviation: PGK; 'Special Operations Command — Police SOCOM', Jawi script, Jawi: ڤاسوكن ڬرقن خاص) is a special operations Command (military formation), command of the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP). The ...
(PGK); Special Operations Command; SOCOM of Federal Police), which includes the VAT 69 Police Commandos and UTK. VAT 69 commando battalion is the special force based on by SAS for fight against the communist threats and the Special Action Units ''(Malay: Unit Tindakan Khas)'', which is modelled on SWAT teams for dangerous crimes prevented and close protections. Besides, the force also created the maritime police special forces known as Police Combat Diving Unit or ''Unit Selam Tempur'', who tasked the security of
Straits of Malacca The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, long and from wide, between the Malay Peninsula to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pa ...
,
Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea (; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; ; ) is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipela ...
and
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...
from the piracy activities and terrorism. The Rakan Cop is the Malaysian community police which was launched in 2006.


Malta

The Malta Police Force is the national police force of Malta, and is responsible for all policing functions. It is overseen by the Ministry of Home Affairs.


Mauritius

The law enforcement agency of
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
is the Mauritius Police Force. The Commissioner of Police (CP) heads the organisation which forms part of the Home Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).


Mexico

Police forces in Mexico are classified by their jurisdiction and authority into federal, state and municipal forces. Mexico's law enforcement agencies include the
National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
as main federal law enforcement authority, and independent state and municipal police forces. Within these categories, there is also a division between agencies according to their nature as "preventive" police (the uniformed agents in charge of crime prevention and compliance with administrative regulations, such as the
Mexico City Police Law enforcement in Mexico City is provided by two primary agencies; the Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City (Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana de la ciudad de México), who provide uniformed or preventative police, and the Office of ...
), or Investigative agencies (sometimes called "ministerial police"). The last ones obey the authority of the prosecutor's offices (for example, the Attorney General's Office at federal level), while the others depend directly on the executive power at federal, state or municipal level.


Moldova

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
has two national police forces, both under the authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The General Police Inspectorate is the primary civilian police agency with authority over the entire country, in close cooperation with municipal police departaments. The country also has a gendarmerie force, the Trupele de Carabinieri (lit. "Carabinier Troops").


Morocco

The Moroccan police is called '' Sûreté Nationale''. The force is tasked with upholding the law and
public order Public order may refer to * Public security: the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger or property damage * Public order policing: police maintenance of order ...
. It works alongside the ''
Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie The Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie (, ) is the national gendarmerie force of the Kingdom of Morocco, and comes under the joint-authority of the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of the administration of National Defense, Ministr ...
'', the Gendarmerie body of the
Royal Moroccan Armed Forces The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces () are the military forces of the Kingdom of Morocco. They consist of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Royal Gendarmerie, and the Royal Guard. The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces have experience in counter-ins ...
.


Myanmar

The
Myanmar Police Force The Myanmar Police Force (), formerly the People's Police Force (), is the law enforcement agency of Myanmar. It was established in 1964 as an independent department under the Ministry of Home Affairs. History The Police Force in Myanmar h ...
, which is overseen by the
Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...
, is the national police force of Myanmar. It is divided into State and Divisional Police Forces, which have District Police and Township Police forces under their jurisdiction. There are 16 combat police battalions that carry out general security duties, and 26 Anti-Narcotic Task Forces.


Nauru

The Nauru Police Force is the single police agency, responsible for all law enforcement and internal security tasks.


Netherlands

The Dutch National Police is a government agency charged with upholding the law, public order, and providing aid. It is also the investigation service for the
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
of the
Judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
. The national police are made up of ten regional units and two national ones, one for expertise and operations, the other for investigation and intervention. In addition, supporting divisions of the national police include the Police Services Center, Police Academy, and National Dispatch Center Cooperation. The current chief of the Dutch Police is
Janny Knol Janny Knol (born August 13, 1969, in Rotterdam) is a Dutch senior police officer who has been the Commissioner (''Korpschef'') of the Dutch National Police in the rank of First Chief Commissioner (''Eerste Hoofdcommissaris'') since March 2024. Sh ...
. Police duties at airports, borders, and royal residences are provided by the
Royal Marechaussee The Royal Marechaussee (, abbreviated to KMar) also translated as the Royal Military Constabulary, is the national gendarmerie force of the Netherlands, performing military and civilian police duties. It is also one of the two national police ...
(Gendarmerie), together with
Private security companies A private security company is a business entity which provides armed or unarmed security services and expertise to clients in the private or public sectors. Overview Private security companies are defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic ...
for airports. Local laws, codes, parking, and "Quality of life" issues are enforced by municipal enforcement officers (Handhaving). These officers, together with park rangers, public transport security personnel, and attendance officers have special enforcement officer status (Buitengewoon Opsporings Ambtenaar or Extraordinary Investigating Officer) which allows them to issue fines, detain people, and make arrests. Their policing powers are limited, though they often have the power to use force and handcuffs but generally only carry less-lethal weapons, like batons and pepper spray.


Nepal

The
Nepal Police Nepal Police () is the national and primary law enforcement agency of Nepal. It is primarily responsible for maintaining law and order (politics), law and order, prevention of crime and crime investigation within the jurisdiction determined by ...
is a government body responsible for enforcing law and order in
Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...
. Along with Armed Police Force, the police of Nepal is responsible for maintaining law and order and prevention of crime according to the constitution of Nepal and is under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Sarbendra Khanal is the current IGP of Nepal Police. Nepal Police has total 67,416 police personnel and has 2,344 permanent and 507 temporary police offices and units spread all over the country. The present chief of Nepal Police is Sarbendra Khanal.


New Zealand

The New Zealand Police are charged with enforcing law in New Zealand. They are a single national police force with a broad policing role (community safety, law enforcement & road safety). New Zealand police officers do not normally carry firearms, although access to firearms is available when circumstances dictate. Specialised units of the New Zealand Police such as the
Armed Offenders Squad The Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) are specialist part-time units of the New Zealand Police based around the country available to respond to high risk incidents using specialist tactics and equipment. The AOS was established when front-line poli ...
, a
SWAT A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
type unit and the Special Tactics Group are also operational for different scenarios that might arise. New Zealand Police work with other government agencies and non-government groups to achieve the best safety outcomes for all New Zealanders.


Nicaragua

The National Police of Nicaragua is responsible for law enforcement, and sometimes works in conjunction with the Nicaraguan military, making it an indirect and rather subtle version of a gendarmerie.


Nigeria

The
Nigeria Police Force The Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency in Nigeria. It was designated by the 1999 constitution as the national police of Nigeria, with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country. As at 2021, i ...
is the sole civilian police force in Nigeria. It is under the control of the federal government – there are no state or municipal police forces in Nigeria. It has a paramilitary arm, the Nigerian Mobile Police.


Norway

The Norwegian national police force () is subordinate to the Ministry of Justice and Police. The Politiet is divided into 27 regional police departments and seven nationwide special departments. In total the force has about 11,000 employees, with the
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
police precinct, as the largest, accounting for 2,300. Officers of the Norwegian police usually do not carry firearms, making the force one of the few unarmed police organizations in the world. They are instead armed with telescopic batons and
pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, mace, or capsicum spray is a Tear gas, lachrymator (tear gas) product containing as its active ingredient the chemical compound capsaicin, which irritates the eyes with burning ...
.


Pakistan

The police in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
are under the control of the province they work in, with each police having jurisdiction in its own province and its leadership headquartered in the province's capital. A separate
traffic police Traffic police (also known as traffic officers, traffic enforcement units, traffic cops, traffic monitors, or traffic enforcers) are units and Law enforcement agency, agencies who enforce Traffic#Rules of the road, traffic laws and Road traffic ...
department exists for managing traffic and is also a provincial force. Only the capital city police are an exception, and is under
federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
control with its own setup. In Punjab a counter-terror unit elite force within the Punjab Police was created in 1998. A separate
paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
organization in the eastern provinces (
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
and
Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
) known as the
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
exist for providing security in the country and to assist the police whenever needed. They also under the control of the province they work in. Their equivalents in the western provinces (
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
) are the
Frontier Corps The Frontier Corps (, reporting name: FC) are a group of four paramilitary forces of Pakistan, operating in the provinces of Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to maintain law and order while overseeing the country's b ...
(FC).The Civil Armed Forces are a group of nine paramilitary and gendarmerie organisations, separate and distinct from the regular Pakistan Armed Forces. They are responsible for maintaining internal security, helping law enforcement agencies, border control, counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, riot control, and anti-smuggling under the Ministry of Interior. They frequently operate alongside the Pakistani military in response to natural disasters. During times of war they can have their command transferred to the Ministry of Defence, and effectively combined to form a reserve force for the Pakistani military.


Panama

The Panamanian National Police, a branch of the
Panamanian Public Forces The Panamanian Public Forces () are the national security forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America (the other being Costa Rica) to abolish its standing army, with Panama retaining a small paramilitary security force. This c ...
, is responsible for civilian policing functions. It is divided into different police zones across the country.


Papua New Guinea

The
Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) is a national police force with jurisdiction throughout Papua New Guinea. History The RPNGC was formed from two predecessor bodies that existed prior to the independence of Papua New Guinea. The Roya ...
is the name of the Police force in Papua New Guinea. There are also 20 mobile squads
paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
under the Special Services Division of the
Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) is a national police force with jurisdiction throughout Papua New Guinea. History The RPNGC was formed from two predecessor bodies that existed prior to the independence of Papua New Guinea. The Roya ...
which is headed by a Director. The Director reports to the Assistant Commissioner who reports to the three deputy Commissioners who are under the Commissioner of Police.


Paraguay

The National Police of Paraguay is responsible for law enforcement and internal security. It operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.


Peru

The national police force in
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
is called the
National Police of Peru The National Police of Peru (, PNP) is the national police force of Peru. Its jurisdiction covers the nation's land, sea, and air territories. Formed from the merger of the Investigative Police, the Civil Guard, and the Republican Guard in 1988 ...
(Policía Nacional del Perú) or PNP. They are the state police force, but serve many of the same roles in the cities that local police forces assume in other countries, such as traffic control at intersections. Peruvian cities (or
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
-area districts) each have their own ''Serenazgo'' forces, which perform patrol duties like a
neighborhood watch A neighborhood watch or neighbourhood watch (see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also called a crime watch or neighbourhood crime watch, is an organized group of civilians devoted to crime a ...
and call upon the PNP as needed.


Philippines

The
Local Government Code of the Philippines Codification of laws is a common practice in the Philippines. Many general areas of substantive law, such as criminal law, civil law and labor law are governed by codes of law. Tradition Codification is predominant in countries that adhere ...
mandates the
Barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...
s to enforce peace and order and provide support for the effective enforcement of human rights and justice, resolving and/or mediating conflict at the barangay level through non-adversarial means. Recourse to this Barangay Justice System is required, with some specific exceptions, as a pre-condition before filing a complaint in court or any government offices. At the national level, law enforcement in the Philippines is handled by two agencies: the
Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police (PNP; ) is the national police force of the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currently, it has approximately 228,000 personnel to police a pop ...
(PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Community policing is done by un-armed barangay tanods who are hired and supervised by their local
barangay The barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as ''barrio'', is the smallest Administrative divisions of the Philippines, administrative division in the Philippines. Named after the Precolonial barangay, precolonial po ...
s, the smallest elected government in the Philippines. Barangay Tanods are often described as volunteers but they do receive in some places small stipends and benefits such as health care. They have some limited training. The thirteen operational support units and their respective functions are as follows: * Maritime Group (MG). This group is responsible to perform all police functions over Philippine Territorial waters, lakes, and rivers along coastal areas to include ports and harbors and small islands for the security and the sustainability development of the maritime environment. * Intelligence Group (IG). This group serves as the intelligence and counter-intelligence operating unit of the PNP. *Drug Enforcement Group (DEG). This group arrests drug lords in pursuant with the Anti-illegal drug law. * Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG). This group provides security to government vital installations, government officials, visiting dignitaries and private individuals authorized to be given protection. * Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). This group monitors, investigates, prosecutes all crimes involving economic sabotage, and other crimes of such magnitude and extent as to indicate their commission by highly placed or professional criminal syndicates and organizations. It also conducts organized- crime –control, all major cases involving violations of the revised penal Code, violators of SPECIAL LAWS assigned to them such as Anti-hijacking, Anti-Carnapping and Cybercrimes among others and atrocities committed by Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)/New People's Army (NPA)/National Democratic Front (NDF). * Special Action Force (SAF). This group is a mobile strike force or a reaction unit to augment regional, provincial, municipal and city police force for civil disturbance control, internal security operations, hostage-taking rescue operations, search and rescue in times of natural calamities, disasters and national emergencies and other special police operations such as ant-hijacking, anti-terrorism, explosives and ordnance disposal. On a special note, the PNP Air Unit is placed under the supervision of SAF. * Aviation Security Group (AVEGROUP). This group provides security to all airports throughout the country. * Highway Patrol Group (HPG). This group enforces the traffic laws and regulations, promote safety along the highways, enhances traffic safety consciousness through inter-agency cooperation concerning Police Traffic Safety Engineering, Traffic Safety Education and Traffic Law enforcement functions and develops reforms in the crime prevention aspect against all forms of lawlessness committed along National Highway involving the use of motor vehicles. * Police-Community Relations Group (PCRG). This group undertakes and orchestrates Police Community Relations program and activities in partnership with concerned government agencies, the community, and volunteer organizations in order to prevent crime and attain a safe and peaceful environment. * Civil Security Group (CSG). This group regulates business operations and activities of all organized private detectives, watchmen, security guards/agencies and company guard forces. It also supervises the licensing and registration of firearms and explosives. * Crime Laboratory (CL). This group provides scientific and technical, investigative aide and support to the PNP and other investigative agencies. It also provides crime laboratory examination, evaluation and identification of physical evidence gathered at the crime scene with primary emphasis on medical, biological and physical nature. * PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG). This Group serves as the primary unit of the PNP in addressing the kidnapping menace in the country and in handling hostage situations. And * PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP- ACG). This Group is responsible for the implementation of pertinent laws on cybercrimes and anti-cybercrime campaigns of the PNP. * PNP Air Unit. Provides helicopter to PNP personnels.


Poland

Law enforcement agencies in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
include: * ''
Policja The Police (, ) is the Poland, Polish national civilian Police, police force. It is a primary law enforcement agency in the country, tasked with providing public safety and order, investigating and preventing crime. Polish Police is headed by ...
'' (police) * '' Straż Graniczna'' (SG) (
border guard A border guard of a country is a national security agency that ensures border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Germany, Italy or Ukraine) and rescue service duties. Name and uniform In diff ...
), also have
coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...
department. * ''
Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego The Internal Security Agency (ISA or ABW; ) is Poland's domestic counterintelligence and security agency. The ABW is responsible for analyzing, reporting and preventing threats to Poland's internal security, including terrorism, foreign espionag ...
'' (ABW) –
counterintelligence Counterintelligence (counter-intelligence) or counterespionage (counter-espionage) is any activity aimed at protecting an agency's Intelligence agency, intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering informati ...
agency for
internal security Internal security is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other Self-governance, self-governing territories, generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. This task and rol ...
tasks * ''
Żandarmeria Wojskowa The Military Gendarmerie (, ŻW) is a military police force established in 1990 in Poland as a specialized service of the Polish Armed Forces. The exact role of the gendarmerie has been historically difficult to ascertain, with several changes ...
'' (ŻW) (
military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...
, military provost) *'' Centralne Biuro Antykorupcyjne'' (CBA) – law enforcement agency designed to fight against
corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
*'' Prokuratura'' – Polish
public prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...
office (chief section of the Prokuratura is Prokuratura Generalna) *'' Służba Celna'' – Poland's
customs Customs is an authority or Government agency, agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling International trade, the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out ...
*'' Straż miejska'' City Guard


Portugal

There are three main police forces in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
: # ''
Polícia de Segurança Pública The Polícia de Segurança Pública MHTE (PSP; ''Public Security Police'') is the national civil police force of Portugal. Part of the Portuguese security forces, the mission of the PSP is to defend Republican democracy, safeguarding internal se ...
'' (PSP – Public Security Police) – a civil uniformed police, responsible mainly for the policing in the large urban areas; # ''
Guarda Nacional Republicana The National Republican Guard () or GNR is the national gendarmerie force of Portugal. Members of the GNR are military personnel, subject to military law and organisation, unlike the agents of the civilian Public Security Police (PSP). The GN ...
'' (GNR – Republican National Guard) – a gendarmerie type force, that works mainly in the countryside and small towns; # ''
Polícia Judiciária The (; PJ; ) is the national criminal investigation police agency of Portugal, focused in fighting serious crimes, including homicides, kidnapping, organized crime, terrorism, illegal drug trade, corruption, cybercrime and financial crime. It i ...
'' (PJ – Judiciary Police) – responsible for the major criminal investigations. There are also other smaller specialized police services, like the ''Autoridade de Segurança Alimentar e Económica'' (ASAE – Food and Economic Safety Authority), the ''Polícia Marítima'' (Maritime Police), the ''Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras'' (SEF – Foreign and Border Service) and the ''polícias municipais'' (municipal police).


Qatar

The Ministry of Interior oversees the various law enforcement units. The Rescue Police Department, or Al-Fazaa, is responsible for most civilian policing. The Juvenile Police Department is responsible for investigating juvenile crime. The Airport Security Department oversees entry and exit from Qatar. Internal security, espionage, and sedition cases are handled by Qatar State Security.


Romania

General Inspectorate of Romanian Police is the central unit of police in Romania, which manages, guides, supports and controls the activity of the Romanian police units, investigates and analyses very serious crimes related to organized crime, economic, financial or banking criminality, or to other crimes which make the object of the criminal cases investigated by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the
High Court of Cassation and Justice The High Court of Cassation and Justice () is Romania's supreme court. It is the equivalent of France's Cour de Cassation and serves a similar function to other courts of cassation around the world. Naming history It held various names durin ...
, and which has any other attributions assigned by law. The organizational chart of General Inspectorate of Romanian Police includes general directorates, directorates, services and, offices established by the order of the Minister of Administration and Interior. The General Inspectorate is under the command of a ''General Inspector'' appointed by the Minister of Administration and Interior. Since March 2015, the General Inspector of the Police is appointed by the
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
and also holds the rank of Secretary of State.


Russia

The
Police of Russia The Police of Russia () is the national Law enforcement in Russia, law enforcement agency of Russia, operating under the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs from . It was established on by decree of Peter the Gre ...
are called полиция ('' Politsiya''). All police forces are overseen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and currently the police is under wide
reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...
. Until 2011 the police was called милиция (''
Militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, 3=mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə, 5=, ) were the police forces in the Soviet Union until 1991, in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), and in the Non-Aligned Movement, non-aligned Socialist Federal Republic ...
''). This change of name started at the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
via a Communist political idea of "''replacing the capitalist police by a people's
militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...
''"; but the name "militsiya" has persisted after the Communist system collapsed. Numerous cities in Russia have municipal police services and the
Oblasts An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often translated i ...
and Krais maintain regional police services. The
Republics A republic, based on the Latin phrase '' res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a state in which political power rests with the public (people), typically through their representatives—in contrast to a monarchy. Although ...
also have their own police forces. Russia's federal law enforcement agencies are the
Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation �СБ, ФСБ России (FSB) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterin ...
and Federal Drug Control Service. The standard Russian police
baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conducti ...
is made of rubber. The normal service uniform is black with red piping and hat band. Fur hats and heavy greatcoats are worn in winter.


Rwanda

The Rwanda National Police is responsible for law enforcement in Rwanda. It is divided into the northern, southern, eastern, and western regional commands and has numerous specialized units such as the Special Intervention Force, Canine Unit, Special Airport Police Unit, Revenue Protection Unit, and Police Marine Unit.


Saudi Arabia

Regular policing activities are the responsibility of the Department of Public Safety, the highly centralized national police force. Domestic security and counterintelligence is handled by the
Mabahith The General Directorate of Investigations (), commonly known simply as the Mabahith, is the secret police agency of the Presidency of State Security in Saudi Arabia, and deals with domestic security and counter-intelligence. The officers of the ...
, or secret police.


Serbia

The Police of Serbia is responsible for all local and national law enforcement services in
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. It is overseen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.


Singapore

The
Singapore Police Force The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal Police, law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; hum ...
(SPF) is the main agency tasked with maintaining law and order in the city-state. Formerly known as the Republic of Singapore Police. It is composed of full-time professional police officers who make up about 20% of the force, conscripts doing
National Service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
, and volunteers of the
Volunteer Special Constabulary The Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) in Singapore comprises volunteers from the general public. VSC officers are imbued with equal powers of a regular police officer to enforce law and order in Singapore. They wear the same police uniform as p ...
.


Slovenia

Law enforcement in Slovenia The Slovenian National Police Force is the national government agency that handles the responsibility of law enforcement of the Republic of Slovenia. It is composed of the eight police directorates in Celje, Koper, Kranj, Ljubljana, Maribor, Mur ...
is the responsibility of the Slovenian National Police force, which is composed of 11 police directorates.


Slovakia

The Slovak Police Force is the responsible for law enforcement in Slovakia


Somalia

The
Somali Police Force The Somali Police Force (SPF; (CBS); ) is the national police force and the main civil law enforcement agency of Somalia. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safe ...
is the main civil law enforcement agency of Somalia. Law enforcement in the autonomous region of
Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...
is provided by the Puntland Police Force, a subdivision of the
Puntland Security Force The Puntland Security Force (PSF) is the Security forces, security force of the autonomous Puntland state in Somalia. The PSF was formed in 2002 to combat terrorism in the region and is independent from the federal government of Somalia and the Pu ...
.


South Africa

The
South African Police Service The South African Police Service (SAPS) is the national police force of the Republic of South Africa. Its 1,154 police stations in South Africa are divided according to the Provinces of South Africa, provincial borders, and a Provincial Commis ...
is responsible for providing policing services to the public of South Africa at 1154 police stations, divided across nine provinces.


South Korea

The
National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: National Revolut ...
, or NPA, is the only police organization in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
and is run under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. As a national police force it provides all policing services throughout the country. This differs from the situation in many countries including France, where policing is split between the National Police and ''
Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
'', and between countries such as the United States which have a layered system of National, State/Regional and/or local Law Enforcement organizations. The NPA is headquartered in
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
and is divided into 14 local police agencies, including the
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA; ) is the primary police force for the South Korean capital city of Seoul. The agency is not an independent police force in of itself, but is one of 16 provincial sub-divisions of the National Police Age ...
. Local police agencies are not independent of the national police. There were 96,000 police officers


Spain

Policing in Spain is carried out by a combination of national, regional and local bodies: * The Civil Guard patrols rural areas as well as highways and ports and investigates crimes there. It is a gendarmerie force and has military status. Civil Guard personnel operate from garrison posts that are called casas cuartel ("home-garrisons") which are both minor residential garrisons and fully equipped Police stations. It answers to both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defence. * The
National Police Corps The National Police Corps (, CNP; ; also known simply as the National Police, ) is the national civilian police, police force of Spain. The CNP is mainly responsible for policing urban areas, whilst rural policing is generally the responsibil ...
is the national civilian police force of Spain. It has a civilian status and deals with criminal offences and public order in urban areas. It includes special anti-riot units. It answers to the Ministry of Interior. * The
municipal police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive fundi ...
operate in most cities and important towns, concentrating on preventing crime, settling minor incidents, traffic control, and, intelligence gathering. These forces answer to the local governments. * In some Autonomous Communities there is an autonomous police force, under the rule of the regional government, which carries out the duties of the Civil Guard and the National Police. These police forces are the
Mossos d'Esquadra The ''Mossos d'Esquadra'' (; ), also known as the ''Policia de la Generalitat de Catalunya'' and informally as ''Mossos'', is the State police#Spain, regional police force in the autonomous community of Catalonia. They trace their origins back ...
in Catalonia, the
Ertzaintza The (, or ''People's Guard'') is the autonomous police force for the Basque Country, largely replacing the Spanish Policía Nacional (National Police) and Guardia Civil (Civil Guard). An Ertzaintza member is called an ''ertzaina'' (). ...
in the Basque Country, and the Chartered Police in Navarre. They answer to their respective autonomous governments. The Basque province of Alava retains Spain's oldest police force, the Miñones ("Minions") founded in 1793. Although now an integral division of the Basque Ertzaintza, it answers to the provincial government of Alava. * Additionally, there is a "special administrative police" which is not under the Ministry of the Interior nor the Ministry of Defence, but the Ministry of the Treasury. The Customs Surveillance Service is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of cases involving contraband, illegal drugs, financial evasion and violations, money laundering, surveillance for financial police purposes and the provision of judicial police services. Despite their civilian status, the officers are trained by both the National Police and the Navy Marines.


Sri Lanka

The national police service in Sri Lanka is the
Sri Lanka Police Sri Lanka Police (; ) is the civilian national police force of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The police force is responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the p ...
. The police maintains an elite paramilitary commando force, the Special Task Force, which has taken security duties around the island. Other agencies which have limited police powers are Sri Lanka Customs, the
Sri Lanka Coast Guard The Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) (; ) is a Sri Lankan non-ministerial government department tasked with coast guard duties within the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. It comes under the purview of the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka), Ministry ...
, and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. The military has police powers limited to military personnel, mainly for internal investigation and guarding military facilities.


Sudan

Sudan's main national law enforcement agency is the United Police Forces, responsible for responsible for civil defense, criminal investigations, immigration and customs, passport control, traffic control, and wildlife protection. Police divisions operate within state commands, and state police commissioners report directly to the Director-General of the Police, who answers to the Minister of Interior.


Sweden

The
Swedish Police Authority The Swedish Police Authority () is the national police, police force (''Polisen'') of Sweden. The first modern police force in Sweden was established in the mid-19th century, and the police remained in effect under Municipalities of Sweden, local ...
(in Swedish: ''Polismyndigheten'', but is usually referred to as ''Polisen'') is the central administrative authority responsible for the Swedish police that operates under the
Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
. The Swedish Police Authority replaced the National Police Board in 2015. Due to the 2015 reform of the police, the
Swedish Security Service The Swedish Security Service ( , SÄPO , , formerly , RPS/Säk, until 1989) is a Sweden, Swedish Government agencies in Sweden, government agency organized under the Ministry of Justice (Sweden), Ministry of Justice. It operates as a security ...
became a separate entity under the
Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
, instead of previously being part of the National Police Board. The reform also resulted in Rikskriminalpolisen (National Criminal Investigations Department) being dissolved and its duties transferred to the National Operations Department. The 21 police regions that were established according to the
Counties of Sweden The counties of Sweden () are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Sweden. There are twenty-one counties; however, the number of counties has varied over time, due to territorial changes and to divisions or mergers of existing counti ...
prior to the reform were replaced by six police regions, which were instead divided into 27 local police districts. Swedish police officers are always armed with a 9 mm Sig Sauer handgun, a telescopic baton and a can of
pepper spray Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, mace, or capsicum spray is a Tear gas, lachrymator (tear gas) product containing as its active ingredient the chemical compound capsaicin, which irritates the eyes with burning ...
. The Swedish Police Authority maintains three well-trained SWAT elements, the first being the elite counter-terrorism
National Task Force The National Task Force (, ''NI''), formerly known as the National Task Force of the Swedish Civilian Police (), is a police tactical unit within the National Operations Department of the Swedish Police Authority. History After the assassinat ...
which is the equivalent of Germany's
GSG 9 , formerly , is the police tactical unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The unit is responsible for combatting terrorism and violent crime, including organized crime. In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-H ...
and the French
GIGN The GIGN ( ; ) is the elite police tactical unit of the French National Gendarmerie. Among its missions are counterterrorism, hostage rescue, surveillance of national threats, protection of government officials, critical site protection (such ...
. The second unit being the Reinforced Regional Task Force (previously known as Piketen), which is trained to handle riot control, hostage situations and high-risk arrests in three of Sweden's major cities;
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
,
Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...
and
Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
. The third element is composed of small, less well-equipped special response units under the jurisdictions of their respective local police districts, they are simply called Regional Task Forces, and they serve officially under the Reinforced Regional Task Force.


Switzerland

The police in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
is mainly the responsibility of the 26 cantons, each of which operates a
cantonal police The cantonal police (, , , ) are the law enforcement agencies for each of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. Law enforcement in Switzerland is mainly a responsibility of the cantons, each operating cantonal police agencies. Some cities also operate ...
service. Some municipalities have their own
municipal police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive fundi ...
departments as well, but most of them are responsible for general law and order and parking enforcement only while in some larger cities they carry out traffic control as well. Only the cities of
Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
,
Winterthur Winterthur (; ) is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. With over 120,000 residents, it is the country's List of cities in Switzerland, sixth-largest city by population, as well as its ninth-largest agglomeration with about 14 ...
, and
Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...
have municipal police departments which provide a full policing service. The Swiss federal government operates the Federal Office of Police, which coordinates between cantonal police forces. It maintains an investigative arm, the Federal Criminal Police, which includes the Task Force TIGRIS tactical unit. The Swiss military also operates a military police force.


Syria

The
Syrian government The government of Syria takes place in a presidential system and is currently in a transitionary period under and led by a transitional government. The seat of the government is located in Damascus, Syria. On 8 December 2024, after the succ ...
's civilian police service (
Syrian Public Security Police The Public Security Police () was the main police, police service of Ba'athist Syria. It was charged with maintaining law and order, protecting life and property and investigating crimes. It also performed other routine police functions, including ...
) is managed by the Criminal Security Directorate, a branch of the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, th ...
. It has seven police divisions and branches: * Administrative Police Division (also known as Public Order Police: they are responsible for general security and deal with non-emergency situations); * Emergency Police Division (deals with emergency situations, operating roving patrols. The emergency number is 112); * Traffic Police Division (emergency number is 115); * Riot Police Division; * Criminal Security Department; * Human Trafficking Department (in charge of combating
human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...
); * Electronic Criminal Branch (in charge of combating computer and web-based crime. According to pro-government newspaper Al-Watan, the Electronic Criminal Branch has a dedicated
cybercrime Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or Computer network, networks. It has been variously defined as "a crime committed on a computer network, especially the Internet"; Cyberc ...
laboratory). The capital
Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
and
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
city are policed by a special metropolitan police forces and rural areas are policed by
gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
forces. The Asayish police force is responsible for law enforcement in the
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), also known as Rojava, is a ''de facto'' Autonomous administrative division, autonomous region in northeastern Syria. It consists of self-governing Regions of North and E ...
. In Turkish-occupied northern Syria, the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Police is responsible for policing, while various Syrian opposition groups provide policing services in
Idlib Idlib (, ; also spelt Idleb or Edlib) is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly above sea level, and is southwest of Aleppo. It is located near the border with Turkey. History ...
.


Taiwan (Republic of China)

The
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
ese police is a national police force. It has an
elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...
Special Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
unit Unit may refer to: General measurement * Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law **International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system **English units, histo ...
known as the Thunder Squad. It is trained for dealing with dangerous and high-risk missions, as well as
counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...
due to the potential military threat from the People's Republic of China.


Tanzania

The Tanzania Police Force is the national police force of Tanzania, responsible for civilian law enforcement. It is run by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The force is divided into five departments, each headed by a commissioner.


Thailand

The
Royal Thai Police The Royal Thai Police (RTP) (; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excluding the military and the employees of state-owned enterprises). The R ...
is the national police force of Thailand. It is subdivided into several regions and services, each enjoying their own powers. * Crime Suppression Division, Thai
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
* Immigration * Traffic police


Tunisia

The Tunisian National Police, which is overseen by the Ministry of Interior, is mainly responsible for law enforcement tasks. The Judicial Police is responsible for criminal investigations. The
Tunisian National Guard The Tunisian National Guard (, ) is the national gendarmerie force of the Republic of Tunisia and separated from the Tunisian Armed Forces. History During the French protectorate of Tunisia, the French national gendarmerie was tasked to maint ...
and Presidential Guard help provide internal security.


Turkey

Law enforcement is Turkey is carried out by five separate bodies. The
Turkish National Police The General Directorate of Security (, EGM), or the Turkish National Police, is the national civil police of Turkey primarily responsible for law enforcement in urban areas, whilst rural policing falls under the jurisdiction of the Gendarmerie G ...
() is the civilian police for towns and districts, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The
Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...
() is a branch of the
Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...
responsible only for policing the civilian population in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of the National Police, mainly rural areas. Provost services are provided by the Military Police (). The Turkish Coast Guard () is also a branch of the Armed Forces, responsible for
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
and maritime border protection. The
National Intelligence Organization loction 39°54'25.0"N 32°39'59.3"E The National Intelligence Organization (), also known by its Turkish language, Turkish initials MIT or MİT, or colloquially as the Organization (), is an intelligence agency of the Turkish government tasked ...
() is responsible for internal security. Some limited local law enforcement is carried out by village guards.


Uganda

The Uganda National Police is the sole civilian law enforcement agency of Uganda.


Ukraine

The
National Police of Ukraine The National Police of Ukraine (, ; /NPU ), often simply referred to as the (), is the national, and only, police service of Ukraine. It was formed on 3 July 2015, as part of the post-Euromaidan reforms launched by Ukrainian president Petro Por ...
is the sole civilian police service of Ukraine. It is operated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.


United Arab Emirates

Law enforcement in the United Arab Emirates is divided regionally with each Emirate having its own independent police force. For example, the Abu Dhabi Police has jurisdiction within the Emirate of
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
and the Dubai Police Force has jurisdiction within the Emirate of Dubai.


United Kingdom

Widely regarded as the home of the first modern police force, law enforcement in the United Kingdom is based on the long-standing philosophy of
policing by consent The Peelian principles summarise the ideas that Robert Peel, Sir Robert Peel developed to define an criminal justice ethics, ethical police force. The approach expressed in these principles is commonly known as policing by consent in the United Ki ...
. Policing and law enforcement are organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom as a result of devolution of powers to
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
and, to a lesser extent,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...
have 43 local police forces (formerly known as constabularies), each of which covers a '
police area A police area is the area for which a territorial police force in the United Kingdom is responsible for policing. Every location in the United Kingdom has a designated territorial police force with statutory responsibility for providing poli ...
' (a particular
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
, grouping of counties or metropolitan area). Since 2012, 41 of these forces have their own directly elected
Police and Crime Commissioner A police and crime commissioner (PCC; ) is an elected official in England and Wales responsible for generally overseeing police services. A police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) is an elected official in England responsible for generally ...
, under the
Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13) is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It transfers the control of police forces from police authorities to elected Police and Crime Commissioners. The Eng ...
. The two exceptions are in London, where the Metropolitan Police is accountable to the directly elected mayor via the Office for Policing and Crime, and the much smaller
City of London Police The City of London Police is the territorial police force#United Kingdom, territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle Temple, Middle and Inner Temple, Inner Temples. The for ...
that retains the Common Council of the
City A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
as its police authority.
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
now has a single national force – the Police Service of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Seirbheis Phoilis na h-Alba), commonly known as
Police Scotland Police Scotland (), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist services of the Scottis ...
. It replaced eight former territorial police forces and the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency in April 2013 and is overseen by the Scottish Police Authority, under the terms of the
Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 (asp 8) is an Act of the Scottish Parliament. This legislation merged the eight separate police forces and fire and rescue services in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, ...
. The
Police Service of Northern Ireland The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ; Ulster-Scots: '), is the police service responsible for law enforcement and the prevention of crime within Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after it ...
(Irish: Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Polis Servis o Norlin Airlan) serves Northern Ireland, succeeding the
Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the ...
(RUC) in 2001. Following the
Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 The Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 (c. 32) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The act renamed the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). It also created the Northern Ireland Polici ...
, the PSNI is supervised by the Northern Ireland Policing Board (Irish: Bord Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster-Scots: Norlin Airlan Polisin Boord), who are themselves appointed since 2007 by the
Minister of Justice (Northern Ireland) The Department of Justice (Irish language, Irish: ''An Roinn Dlí agus Cirt'', Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''Männystrie o tha Laa'') is a government department in the Northern Ireland Executive, which was established on 12 April 2010 ...
using the Nolan principles for public appointments. From October 2013 the
National Crime Agency The National Crime Agency (NCA) is a Law enforcement agency#natlea, national law enforcement agency in the United Kingdom. It is the UK's lead agency against organised crime; Human trafficking, human, Arms trafficking, weapon and Illegal drug t ...
(NCA) operates as the United Kingdom's first national law enforcement agency. Replacing the existing
Serious Organised Crime Agency The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) was a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom which existed from 1 April 2006 until 7 October 2013. SOCA was a national law enforcement agency with Home Office sponsorship, e ...
and
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''child ...
, as well as assuming some of the responsibilities of the
UK Border Agency The UK Border Agency (UKBA) was the border control agency of the Government of the United Kingdom and part of the Home Office that was superseded by UK Visas and Immigration, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement in April 2013. It was forme ...
, but not counter-terrorism, for the first time it will have authority for "tasking and coordination" investigative work to local forces under the
Crime and Courts Act 2013 The Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22) is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom introduced to the House of Lords in May 2012. Its main purpose is to create the United Kingdom National Crime Agency which replaced the Serious ...
. There are also three
special police forces Special police usually describes a law enforcement agency or unit within a such an agency whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same nation, jurisdiction, or from other personnel within the same agen ...
that have a specific, non-regional jurisdiction – the
British Transport Police British Transport Police (BTP; ) is a national special police force that polices the railway network of England, Wales and Scotland, which consists of over 10,000 miles of track and 3,000 stations and depots. BTP also polices the London Under ...
,
Civil Nuclear Constabulary The Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Heddlu Sifil Niwclear'') is a Special police#United Kingdom, special police force responsible for providing law enforcement agency, law enforcement and security at any relevant nuclea ...
,
Ministry of Defence Police The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) is a civilian special police force#United Kingdom, special police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence. The MDP's primary responsibilities are ...
. Over the centuries there has been a wide variation in the number of police forces operating within the UK, most of which now no longer exist, see list of former police forces in the United Kingdom. A few miscellaneous constabularies with responsibility mostly founded on old legislation to police specific local areas, such as ports and parks, have escaped police reform. Lastly, a number of government bodies that are not police forces have detective powers and enforce laws, such as the
Marine and Fisheries Agency The Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA) was an executive agency of the British government, founded on 1 October 2005, that controlled sea fishing in seas around England and Wales. Responsibilities included enforcement of sea fisheries legislation, l ...
and
UK Border Agency The UK Border Agency (UKBA) was the border control agency of the Government of the United Kingdom and part of the Home Office that was superseded by UK Visas and Immigration, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement in April 2013. It was forme ...
, who employ officers with limited powers of detention and search but generally cannot make full arrests. The majority of British police are never routinely armed with firearms, relying on an extendable
baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conducti ...
and in some cases
Taser Taser (stylized in all caps) is a line of handheld conducted energy devices (CED) sold by Axon Enterprise (formerly Taser International). The device fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the targe ...
s, with specialist armed units always on patrol and called in only when necessary. The exceptions are the Ministry of Defence Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the Police Service of Northern Ireland which are routinely armed. Uniquely in Britain, there are police forces of
Crown Dependencies The Crown Dependencies are three dependent territory, offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the The Crown, British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, both lo ...
such as the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
and States of
Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...
and
Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...
, who have police forces that share resources with the UK police, whilst having a separate administration within their own governments. The
British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...
, have their own police forces which are generally based on the British model of policing. The
British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...
also maintain
military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...
units: the
Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations ...
,
Royal Air Force Police The Royal Air Force Police (RAFP) is the service police branch of the Royal Air Force, headed by the provost marshal of the Royal Air Force. Its headquarters are at RAF Honington, and it deploys throughout the world to support RAF and UK def ...
,
Royal Navy Police The Royal Navy Police (RNP) is the service police branch of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. Members of the RNP enforce service law and discipline. The Royal Navy Police was known as the Royal Navy Regulating Branch until 2007, when the servi ...
, and
Royal Marines Police The Royal Marines Police, or Royal Marines Police Troop (RM Police Troop) is the Royal Marines element of the Royal Navy Police and the military police arm of the Royal Marines. Members of the RM Police enforce service law and discipline. St ...
. Military police personnel are not constables under UK law and only have police powers in relation to service personnel.


United States

In the United States, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
(FBI) and other
federal police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...
agencies such as the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention ...
,
Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...
,
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...
,
United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security tasked with conducting criminal investigations and providing protection to American political leaders, thei ...
,
United States Marshals Service The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...
,
United States Park Police The United States Park Police (USPP) is the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency in the United States. It functions as a full-service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Service areas ...
,
United States Capitol Police The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States with nationwide jurisdiction charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States an ...
,
United States Mint Police The United States Mint Police is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency responsible for the protection of the facilities, assets, and personnel of the U.S. Mint. It was founded in 1792, making it among the oldest federal law enforcement agencies i ...
,
United States Postal Inspection Service The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), or the Postal Inspectors, is the Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service. It supports and protects the U.S. Postal Servic ...
, and the
United States Pentagon Police The Pentagon Police Division (PPD) is the uniformed division of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA). PPD's role is to provide law enforcement and protective security services for The Pentagon and other Office of the Secretary of Defense ...
are limited to the enforcement of federal laws and usually specialize in certain crimes or duties, but do enforce some state laws. Most crimes constitutionally fall under the jurisdiction of
state police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...
or the thousands of
local police Municipal police, city police, or local police are Law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the Municipality, municipal government, where it is the smallest Administ ...
forces. These include
county police County police, often called county sheriffs in the United States, are police forces existing primarily in the United States that possess primary jurisdiction over an entire county. England and Wales, two constituent countries of the United Kingdom ...
departments and
sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
's offices as well as municipal or city police departments. Many areas also have
special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer * Special police forces ...
agencies such as
campus police Campus police or university police in the United States and Canada are Police officer, sworn police or peace officers employed by a college or university to protect the private or public property of the campus and surrounding areas and the peo ...
,
railroad police Railroad police or railway police are people responsible for the protection of Rail transport, railroad (or railway) properties, facilities, revenue, equipment (train cars and locomotives), and personnel, as well as carried passengers and cargo. R ...
,
airport police Airport police units are a security police agency assigned to perform law enforcement functions at airports. They provide a wide range of law enforcement duties and responsibilities including patrol, investigation, traffic flow management, and con ...
,
transit police Transit police (also known as transport police, railway police, railroad police and several other terms) are specialized police agencies employed either by a common carrier, such as a transit district, railway, railroad, bus line, or another mas ...
, tribal police, housing police, or a district or precinct constable. All states except
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
maintain state police agencies. Most counties have sheriff's offices led by a
sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
who is elected by the people of the county to the position, though some have county police forces which are not led by an elected official, and others have both a sheriff's office and county police department. Most cities and many towns maintain their own police departments, including even small towns with police departments consisting of a few officers. In addition, most state universities maintain their own police departments, as do many airports and seaports. The
United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...
maintain numerous
military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...
agencies. There are approximately 18,000 federal, state, county, and local law enforcement agencies in the United States, most of them municipal police departments.


Uruguay

The National Police of Uruguay is responsible for maintaining law and order. It is overseen by the Ministry of the Interior.


Venezuela

The Bolivarian National Police (Venezuelan National Police) is responsible for law enforcement duties in national jurisdiction. Likewise, there are state police bodies in charge of the autonomy of each state and its state constitution; some examples are the Autonomous Police Institute of the State of Miranda, or the Bolivarian Police Force of the State of Zulia. In addition to these, there is also the Scientific, Penal, and Criminal Investigation Service Corps and the Bailiff Corps (Spanish: Cuerpo de Alguacilazgo), the latter serves the Venezuelan judiciary and performs police duties in the courts, with powers similar to that of the United States Marshals Service.


Vietnam

The single law enforcement agency in Vietnam is the
Vietnam People's Public Security The People's Public Security of Vietnam (), alternatively the People's Public Security Forces (PPS; - CAND), also recognized as the Vietnamese police, Vietnamese Police or by its Vietnamese short name (), is the national police and the main ...
, which answers to the
Ministry of Public Security Ministry of Public Security can refer to: * Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Brazil) * Ministry of Public Security of Burundi * Ministry of Public Security (Chile) * Ministry of Public Security (China) * Ministry of Public Security of Co ...
.


Zambia

The
Zambia Police Service The Zambia Police Service is the organisation concerned with maintaining the rule of law in Zambia. It is under the portfolio of the Minister of Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of h ...
is the single civilian law enforcement agency of Zambia. It is under the portfolio of the
Ministry of Home Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...
.


Zimbabwe

The
Zimbabwe Republic Police The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) is the national police force of Zimbabwe, having succeeded the British South Africa Police on 1 August 1980. History The predecessor of the Zimbabwe Republic Police was the British South Africa Police of ...
is the national police service of Zimbabwe. It has various specialized units such as the Duty Uniformed Branch (DUB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), National Traffic Branch, Police Protection Unit(PPU) and Support Unit also known as riot police or Gondo harishayi.


See also

*
List of basic law enforcement topics A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
List of law enforcement agencies A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any agency which enforces the law. This may be a special or local police/sheriffs, state troopers, and federal police such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the United States Marshals (USMS). Also ...


References

{{Police