Federal Gendarmerie
Encyclopedia
The Gendarmerie of Austria called the , Federal Gendarmerie, was an Austrian federal police force. It was responsible for approximately two thirds of the population on approximately 98% of Austrian national territory, alongside the Federal Safety Guard Corps and Kriminalbeamtenkorps. All Austrian law enforcement agencies were merged into the Federal Police, or Bundespolizei, on 1 July 2005.
originates from the 1848 Revolution. It was formed on 8 June 1849 as a component of the Austro-Hungarian Army
. Johann Franz Kempen, Baron von Fichtenstamm, was appointed the first "General-Gendarmerie-Inspector". While it was originally a military corps responsible for the Habsburg monarchy, gradually over the second half of the nineteenth century it became responsible for public order.
These military origins were still represented in the retention of the old insignia, a flaming grenade
, after the Gendamerie became a component of the civil administration in 1918. The predominately grey uniform also owed its inspiration to the Austro-Hungarian Army.
The direct forerunner was the Gendarmerieregiment of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, after the Viennese Congress of 1815. Up to then 1776 set up "military police
corps" existed in Austria as a militarily organized corps alone in the large cities of (Vienna
, Lemberg, Krakau, Przemyśl
) and others.
During the First World War the Gendarmerie was used in the hinterland
, and as Feldgendarmerie
. After the war it remained further militarily organized, but divided for civilian tasks. As leftover that military Structure the gendarmes the remaining became Civil servant only 1918 on an equal footing and the civil jurisdiction subordinated (before were Military courts responsibly for the gendarmes).
. After the Anschluss
of 1938 high ranking gendarmes were interened in Concentration camps and large numbers of gendarmes were locked up, dismissed, retired or transferred for disciplinary reasons. The remainder were integrated into the German Order police
.
In 1952 the B-Gendarmerie were set up, with heavy weapons, to strengthen the Gendarmerieeinheit. It was set up after the conclusion of the Convention and the basic unit of the Federal army had been formed. It is not sure whether the initial "B" stood for "Bereitschaft" (Readiness) or "Besondere" (Special) Gendarmerie. This paramilitary
Unit would have been used in the case of an invasion by the Soviet army
in the western zones of occupation of Austria.
Those Bundesgendarmerie was to 30. June 2005 beside "Federal safety guard corps" and that "Kriminalbeamtenkorps" (Police) in although militarily more organized - civilian Awake body in Austria. Those Gendarmerie was locally responsible for all parts of Austria. The Federal Capital (Vienna) was excluded as well as the state capitals (except Bregenz) and other larger cities of Austria (usually Statutarstädte). It provided security for approximately two thirds of the population on approximately 98% of the Austrian national territory.
") and a Grenzgendarmerie (border gendarmerie) beside the individual Gendarmerieposten in the municipalities, which were increasingly folded up lately. For special employments the Gendarmerie maintained special units such as z. B. Dog leader, alpine gendarmes and flight rescuers.
headquarters in 1975 led to the establishment of a special task force of the Gendarmerie, the Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando EKO Cobra
. This special unit trains in close proximity to Wr. Neustadt (city approx. 50 km south of Vienna) and gets activated for all acts of terrorism and kidnapping in addition to other particularly dangerous employments.
Furthermore there are so-called in the context of the Cobra since 1981 Air Mars neck, those as civilian companions during endangered flights Austrian Airlines along-fly. This system became of that The USA after the events of the 11. September 2001 taken over.
Bereitschaftspolizei
A battalion for extensive use in events such as large meetings, concerts, soccer games, demonstrations, pl there were additionally separately in each Land of the Federal Republic a "Gendarmerie employment unit EE". This consisted of particularly trained gendarmes with an employment of the individual posts was likewise pulled together.
and FPÖ
decided this should take place on July 1, 2005 takes place and that the new name should be the "Federal Police
".
At the time of the amalgamation from Gendarmerie, Federal Safety Guard Corps and Kriminalbeamtenkorps to the Federal Police there were approx. 15,000 officials.
Until also the public got accustomed at the new name police, it will however still last some time. The media still report the "Alpingendarmerie", tourista often look for the "Gendarmerieposten", children play "robbers and gendarmes" and the colloquial term "Schandi" (Gendarme) will still be in use for many years.
Establishment
The idea to establish a GendarmerieGendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
originates from the 1848 Revolution. It was formed on 8 June 1849 as a component of the Austro-Hungarian Army
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
. Johann Franz Kempen, Baron von Fichtenstamm, was appointed the first "General-Gendarmerie-Inspector". While it was originally a military corps responsible for the Habsburg monarchy, gradually over the second half of the nineteenth century it became responsible for public order.
These military origins were still represented in the retention of the old insignia, a flaming grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
, after the Gendamerie became a component of the civil administration in 1918. The predominately grey uniform also owed its inspiration to the Austro-Hungarian Army.
The direct forerunner was the Gendarmerieregiment of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, after the Viennese Congress of 1815. Up to then 1776 set up "military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
corps" existed in Austria as a militarily organized corps alone in the large cities of (Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Lemberg, Krakau, Przemyśl
Przemysl
Przemyśl is a city in south-eastern Poland with 66,756 inhabitants, as of June 2009. In 1999, it became part of the Podkarpackie Voivodeship; it was previously the capital of Przemyśl Voivodeship....
) and others.
The time of the monarchy up to the First World War
The Mission of the Royal and Imperial Gendarmerie was the maintenance of the public order. Beside that Crime prevention became those Gendarmerie later in the time of the Absolutists politically instrumentalisiert, which brought in it the hate of the middle class. It was separated from the Army in 1876. Before that the First World War the Gendarmerie Daktyloskopie and police dogs were introduced.During the First World War the Gendarmerie was used in the hinterland
Hinterland
The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...
, and as Feldgendarmerie
Feldgendarmerie
The Feldgendarmerie were the uniformed military police units of the armies of the German Empire from the mid 19th Century until the conclusion of World War II.- Early history :...
. After the war it remained further militarily organized, but divided for civilian tasks. As leftover that military Structure the gendarmes the remaining became Civil servant only 1918 on an equal footing and the civil jurisdiction subordinated (before were Military courts responsibly for the gendarmes).
The time up to the Second World War
After having lost World War I, and considering Austria's shrunken size, the size of the Gendarmerie was greatly reduced. In 1934, the Gendarmerie were involved in domestic affairs and National socialism, they infiltrated the Austrian fascistsAustrofascism
Austrofascism is a term which is frequently used by historians to describe the authoritarian rule installed in Austria with the May Constitution of 1934, which ceased with the forcible incorporation of the newly-founded Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938...
. After the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
of 1938 high ranking gendarmes were interened in Concentration camps and large numbers of gendarmes were locked up, dismissed, retired or transferred for disciplinary reasons. The remainder were integrated into the German Order police
Ordnungspolizei
The Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
.
From 1945 to the dissolution of the Gendarmerie in 2005
With the reestablishment of the Republic of Austria in 1945 a Gendarmeriekommando was created. At the beginning the control was disputed between members of the executive, so the Gendarmerie had to get along initially with few officials. Circumstances improved however soon so far that the Gendarmerie was again able to ensure national order. In October 1950 a general strike was proclaimed by the Communist Party, and the deployment of the security forces suppressed an October rebellion.In 1952 the B-Gendarmerie were set up, with heavy weapons, to strengthen the Gendarmerieeinheit. It was set up after the conclusion of the Convention and the basic unit of the Federal army had been formed. It is not sure whether the initial "B" stood for "Bereitschaft" (Readiness) or "Besondere" (Special) Gendarmerie. This paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
Unit would have been used in the case of an invasion by the Soviet army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
in the western zones of occupation of Austria.
Those Bundesgendarmerie was to 30. June 2005 beside "Federal safety guard corps" and that "Kriminalbeamtenkorps" (Police) in although militarily more organized - civilian Awake body in Austria. Those Gendarmerie was locally responsible for all parts of Austria. The Federal Capital (Vienna) was excluded as well as the state capitals (except Bregenz) and other larger cities of Austria (usually Statutarstädte). It provided security for approximately two thirds of the population on approximately 98% of the Austrian national territory.
Other units
There was a transport department, a Kriminalabteilung (and not as in many TV-series the "CIDCriminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
") and a Grenzgendarmerie (border gendarmerie) beside the individual Gendarmerieposten in the municipalities, which were increasingly folded up lately. For special employments the Gendarmerie maintained special units such as z. B. Dog leader, alpine gendarmes and flight rescuers.
Cobra
The terrorist assault on the OPECOPEC
OPEC is an intergovernmental organization of twelve developing countries made up of Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. OPEC has maintained its headquarters in Vienna since 1965, and hosts regular meetings...
headquarters in 1975 led to the establishment of a special task force of the Gendarmerie, the Gendarmerieeinsatzkommando EKO Cobra
EKO Cobra
EKO Cobra is Austria's foremost counter-terrorism special operations tactical unit. It is not part of the Austrian Federal Police but is directly under the control of the Austrian Federal Ministry for the Interior.-History:...
. This special unit trains in close proximity to Wr. Neustadt (city approx. 50 km south of Vienna) and gets activated for all acts of terrorism and kidnapping in addition to other particularly dangerous employments.
Furthermore there are so-called in the context of the Cobra since 1981 Air Mars neck, those as civilian companions during endangered flights Austrian Airlines along-fly. This system became of that The USA after the events of the 11. September 2001 taken over.
BereitschaftspolizeiBereitschaftspolizeiThe Bereitschaftspolizei are the support and rapid reaction units of Germany's police forces...
A battalion for extensive use in events such as large meetings, concerts, soccer games, demonstrations, pl there were additionally separately in each Land of the Federal Republic a "Gendarmerie employment unit EE". This consisted of particularly trained gendarmes with an employment of the individual posts was likewise pulled together.Amalgamation
The reorganization of the Austrian law enforcement bodies started in 2002. It was decided that the Gendarmerie, federal safety guard corps and Kriminalbeamtenkorps should be amalgamated. On December 9, 2004, the National council with the voices of ÖVPOVP
OVP is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:*The Office of the Vice President of the United States*The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines*OVP , a light sub-machine gun developed in Italy...
and FPÖ
FPO
FPO may refer to:*Fleet Post Office, a "city" designation in military mail *Field post office, a term for military post offices in military mail systems *For position only, a designation for placeholder graphics...
decided this should take place on July 1, 2005 takes place and that the new name should be the "Federal Police
Federal Police (Austria)
The Federal Police is the law enforcement agency of Austria. The Austrian Federal Police were formed in July 2005 as one formal unit of police. Before 2005 the police system operated the Gendarmerie for most of the country, and the Polizei in the heavy city and urban areas such as Vienna,...
".
At the time of the amalgamation from Gendarmerie, Federal Safety Guard Corps and Kriminalbeamtenkorps to the Federal Police there were approx. 15,000 officials.
Until also the public got accustomed at the new name police, it will however still last some time. The media still report the "Alpingendarmerie", tourista often look for the "Gendarmerieposten", children play "robbers and gendarmes" and the colloquial term "Schandi" (Gendarme) will still be in use for many years.
Former organisational structure
- Federal Ministry for The Interior (BMI)
- Central management for public security (section II of the BMI)
- 9 Safety managements (Simmer) in all States of the Federal RepublicFederal republicA federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is the central government. The states in a federation also maintain the federation...
- 8 Landesgendarmeriekommanden (LGKdo) in all Lands of the Federal Republic except Vienna
- Bezirksgendarmeriekommanden (BGK)
- Gendarmerieposten (GP), frontier control post (GÜP) and check points (Greko)
- Bezirksgendarmeriekommanden (BGK)
- 9 Safety managements (Simmer) in all States of the Federal Republic
- Central management for public security (section II of the BMI)