National Gendarmerie

National Gendarmerie Gendarmerie nationale
Logo of the National Gendarmerie
Common name	Gendarmerie
Motto	Pour la patrie, l'honneur et le droit (For the fatherland, honor and law)
Agency overview
Formed	16 February 1791[1] (233 years, 10 months ago)
Preceding agency	Maréchaussée
Employees	102,269 people (2018)[2]
Volunteers	12,602 volunteers (2018)[2]
Annual budget	€9.57 billion (2021)
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	France
Operations jurisdiction	France
Constituting instrument	Law of 28 Germinal year VI (April 17, 1798) relating to the organization of the national gendarmerie[3]
General nature	Gendarmerie Local civilian police
Specialist jurisdiction	Paramilitary law enforcement, counter insurgency, and riot control.
Operational structure
Officers and NCOs	6,203 officers and 74,015 NCOs performing operational missions (2018)[2] 595 officers and 4,592 NCOs in technical and administrative services (2018)[2]
Civilian staffs	4,424 people (2018)[2]
Ministers responsible	Bruno Retailleau, Minister of the Interior Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces
Agency executive	Christian Rodriguez, Directeur-Général
Parent agency	Ministry of the Interior Ministry of Armed Forces
Components	Gendarmerie components[4] Departmental Gendarmerie Mobile Gendarmerie Republican Guard Air Transport Gendarmerie Ordnance Gendarmerie Air Gendarmerie Maritime Gendarmerie Nuclear ordnance security Gendarmerie
Website
www.gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr

The National Gendarmerie (French: Gendarmerie nationale [ʒɑ̃daʁməʁi nɑsjɔnal]) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior, with additional duties from the Ministry of Armed Forces. Its responsibilities include policing smaller towns, suburbs and rural areas, crowd and riot control, and criminal investigation, including cybercrime. By contrast, the National Police is a civilian law enforcement agency that is in charge of policing cities and larger towns. Because of its military status, the Gendarmerie also fulfills a range of military and defence missions. The Gendarmerie has a strength of around 102,269 people (as of 2018).^[2]

The Gendarmerie is the heir of the Maréchaussée, the oldest police force in France, dating back to the Middle Ages. The Gendarmerie has influenced the culture and traditions of gendarmerie forces around the world, especially in independent countries from the former French colonial empire.