constabulary

Found in thesaurus: law enforcement agency, personnel, force

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Constabulary

Constabulary may have several definitions:

A civil, non-paramilitary (police) force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in the United Kingdom, in which all county police forces once bore the title (and some still do). Constables also exist in the U.S. states including Texas.
A large civil police force organized and trained along military lines, which may contain paramilitary elements. This is the usual definition in places outside Great Britain such as the Royal Irish Constabulary, Royal Ulster Constabulary, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Jamaica Constabulary Force.
A military or paramilitary type force consisting of soldiers trained for police duties. Mostly established by the United States in the several countries over which it had protective status e.g., Philippine Constabulary, United States Constabulary in West Germany after World War II. These forces also performed military functions by maintaining "mobile forces" of organised units.