Gendarmerie (Ventora)

The Gendarmerie Corps (: Cuerpo de Gendarmería) is the national gendarmarie of Ventora. Although technically part of the armed forces, it is overseen by the Interior Commission during peacetime.

History
In 1848, King Telmo expanded the Royal Guard by levying the armies of the various duchies. Telmo's purpose was to ensure he had control of a military force loyal to the crown and independent from the dukes. The stated purpose was protection of the country's borders. These forces became known as the Gendarmerie to distinguish them from the king's guard personnel because of the difference in their roles although the entire force was under the direction of the Constable of Ventora, a military officer charged with protecting the royal household and its holdings.

As a military force with a law enforcement writ, the Gendarmerie was charged with military police functions in 1878 by King Roque. This was part of an effort to professionalize the armies of the duchies. The reforms went a long way to providing national oversight over the military, including the setting of military standards and establishing a uniform code of military justice.

King Vincente added coastal patrol to the role of the Gendarmerie in 1883 so the navy could concentrate on operations at sea. To reduce thievery in the ports, port protection was added in 1892. Diplomatic security was added in 1936 to safeguard Ventoran missions abroad as well as protecting foreign missions in Ventora.

With the death of King Florián III and the entire royal family in a train derailment in 1961, the Royal Guard no longer had a royal family to protection. Following the War of the Three Capitals, the Royal Guard was renamed the National Guard in 1964 and became subordinate to the Gendarmerie. Public order rapid reaction capabilities were formalized in 1974.

Roles
The Gendarmerie retains the Royal Guard's original role of protecting the and official residences, albeit expanded to include numerous senior government officials and all government buildings. The agency is chiefly responsible for border security, including patrolling land and coastal borders. In this regard, Gendarmerie personnel also secure airports and seaports.

Law enforcement for the military services, including security of military installations, is another important role for the Gendarmerie. The agency's military and police capabilities also make it ideal for protecting diplomats and diplomatic facilities both at home and abroad. In an effort to combat organized crime and provide a quick response force to support police in the duchies and municipalities, the Gendarmerie developed a rapid response capability. These personnel attend high risk investigations and arrests and ensure adequate capabilities to restore order in the event of public order disruptions.

Organization
Although technically part of Ventora's military, the Gendarmerie operates under direction of the Interior Commission. It receives support from both the Defense and Interior Commissions. The senior commander of the Gendarmerie is the Chief of the Gendarmerie, currently Captain General Javi Alonso Vásquez Mata. Units of the Gendarmerie follow typical military fashion: regiments, battalions, companies, platoons, and squads. Gendarmerie units may be assigned to operate in larger or smaller elements as task forces or detachments, respectively.

Structure
There are six main structural elements of the Gendarmerie, each headed by a general.
 * Directorate General of the Gendarmerie (Dirección General de Gendarmería, DGG) – Office of the Chief; directorates for support services including personnel, legal, facilities, and finance and procurement.
 * Homeland Protection Group (Grupo de Proteccíon Nacional, GPN) – border patrol and security, coastal patrol, airport and seaport security
 * National Guard Group (Grupo de la Guardia Nacional, GCN) – executive protection, government facility security
 * Military Police Group (Grupo de Policía Militar, GPM) – military law enforcement, military facility protection, general law enforcement and security in military operational areas
 * Diplomatic Protection Group (Grupo de Proteccíon Diplomática, GPD) &dash; security of Ventoran diplomatic missions abroad, protection of foreign missions in Ventora; protection of accredited Ventoran diplomats at home and abroad
 * Rapid Reaction Group (Grupo de Reacción Rápida, GRR) – anti-terrorism, responds to serious disruptions of public order, support for high risk actions against organized crime
 * Gendarmerie School Group (Grupo Escolar de Gendarmería, GEG) – Gendarmerie-specific training, including basic and specialist law enforcement, anti-terrorism, anti-riot, and crowd control measures

Operations
Operationally, the Gendarmerie is organized into three general commands and three regional commands, each headed by a general. The general commands are: Homeland Security, Diplomatic Security, and Military Police. The regional commands are: North, East, and West; they roughly coincide with the historic confederation and northern duchies territories. Within the regional commands are 26 districts which which coincide with duchy borders. The number of garrisons in a district varies on location and population, with border duchies having more and interior duchies generally having fewer by virtue of lacking significant border protection requirements.

Equipment
The Gendarmerie uses standard military weapons and typical law enforcement equipment such as portable radios and wrist restraints.

Vehicles
Vehicles include patrol vehicles, predominantly all-wheel drive utility vehicles, transport vans, and armored and crowd control vehicles. Coastal and harbor patrol units have fast patrol boats.

Personnel
The majority of Gendarmerie personnel are careerists. As a military component, service in the Gendarmerie satisfies the compulsory service obligation and the Gendarmerie accepts about 10% of each year's induction of persons who are fit and reach military age. In this regard, the Gendarmerie has a substantial reserve force as the obligors fulfill their 5 years of reserve duties following their year of active service. Beyond regular Gendarmerie personnel, nearly 5,000 persons assist the service in a non-paid voluntary status as auxiliaries. While on duty, they have the same police authority as regular Gendarmerie and serve to augment regular patrols. The auxiliaries typically work within Homeland Protection roles.

All Gendarmerie personnel first attend basic military training with the armed forces. This training lasts 10 weeks and is uniform for all military personnel regardless of branch of service. After completing basic military training, personnel selected for the Gendarmerie attend 8 weeks of basic law enforcement training at the Gendarmerie school. After completion of their first year, careerists and selected obligors may attend specialist training for roles beyond the general law enforcement and border security functions of the Homeland Protection Group.

Ranks and pay grades for Gendarmerie are the same as for military personnel. However, Gendarmerie not living on a military installation receive a cost-of-living supplement to cover housing and higher food costs. The majority of Gendarmerie, outside of the Military Police Group, receive the supplement, which varies by geographic location and is sometimes called locality pay.