Hellenic Gendarmerie

Hellenic Gendarmerie Ελληνική Χωροφυλακή
Emblem of Hellenic Gendarmerie, 1969–1984
Active	1833
Country	Greece
Type	Gendarmerie
Part of	Ministry of Public Order
Disbanded	1984 (replaced by Hellenic Police)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Col. François Graillard Lt. Gen. Georgios Samuel

The Hellenic Gendarmerie (Greek: Ελληνική Χωροφυλακή, Elliniki Chorofylaki) was the national gendarmerie and military police (until 1941) force of Greece.

The Greek Gendarmerie was established after the enthronement of King Otto in 1833 as the Royal Gendarmerie (Greek: Βασιλική Χωροφυλακή) and modeled after the French Gendarmerie. It was at that time formally part of the army and under the authority of the Army Ministry. Several foreign advisers (particularly from Bavaria, who emphasized elements of centralization and authoritarianism), were also brought in to provide training and tactical advice to the newly formed force. The main task of the Gendarmerie under the army as a whole during this period was firstly to combat the extensive banditry which was endemic in the countryside throughout the 19th century and included kidnappings for ransom, the suppression of local revolts, and the establishment of a strong executive government. Dimitrios Deligeorgis was appointed commander in 1854.

The army's links to the Gendarmerie and the nature of the structure of the force and its hierarchy (that of being similar to the army) was maintained throughout the 19th century for a number of reasons. Largely the socio-political unrest that characterized the period including disproportionate poverty, governmental oppression, sporadic rebellions and political instability. As a result of this, as well as the input of the armed forces, the Gendarmerie remained a largely conservative body throughout the period, there was also a certain amount of politicization during training as the Gendarmerie were trained in military camps.

In 1906 the Gendarmerie underwent its first major restructuring at an administrative level. It acquired its own educational and training facilities independent of those of the army (though still remaining a nominal part of the armed forces). Despite this the Gendarmerie still maintained a largely military based structure, based on its involvement in the Macedonian Struggle, and the Balkan and First World Wars. As a result, it tended to neglect civilian matters, something addressed with the establishment of a civilian city police force for Attica in 1920, which would eventually be expanded to urban centers in the entire country.