Gendarmerie (Switzerland)

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The gendarmerie are the uniformed branch of the cantonal police of the French-speaking cantons of Switzerland. [1]

Contents

History

The first bodies of Swiss gendarmes have their origins in the foot gendarmes that served Napoleon Bonaparte during his stay in Switzerland under French control.

Structure

Currently, police authority is exercised by individual cantons, which are like sovereign states. The cantonal police force is generally subdivided in two bodies: [1] [2]

However, in certain cantons, the gendarmes have the ability to conduct local or judicial enquiries.

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References

  1. 1 2 https://polis.osce.org/country-profiles/switzerland [ bare URL ]
  2. "Cantonal police corps".