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

• A large civil police force organized and trained along military lines, which may contain paramilitary elements. This is the usual definition in places outside of England but not Great Britain itself (e.g. Royal Irish Constabulary, Royal Ulster Constabulary, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Pennsylvania Constabulary etc.). These were based on the French Gendarmerie, originally consisting of military personnel seconded to or recruited directly to the constabulary or military veterans and later became all civilian forces after they were well established.

• A military or para-military type force consisting of soldiers trained for police duties. These were mostly established by the United states in the several countries it had protective status over (e.g. Philippine Constabulary, United States Constabulary in West Germany after World War Two, Nicaraguan National Guard, Panama National Guard). These forces also performed military functions by maintaining "mobile forces" of organised units. In Europe such forces are called GendarmerieA gendarmerie ( French) is a military body charged with general police duties. The members of such a body are gendarmes. Many French-speaking countries have a gendarmerie but the national police of Austria is also a gendarmerie''. It is also used as a gens or (in ItalyThe Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Italia is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north, where it borders France, Switzer) CarabinieriCarabinieri is the short name for il Carabinieri Nationale an ancient Italian military corps with police functions. It is an active gendarmerie type military force. History The corps was created in by Victor Emanuel I, King of Sardinia, in the aim of prov.