Corporate Profile

The Royal Marechaussee can be best described as a police organisation with a military status. It is also an organisation with many facets, for a combination of civil and military support makes for a varied set of tasks. This requires great versatility in the deployment of personnel, not only within the Netherlands itself but also far beyond its national borders. Since march 25, 1998, the Royal Marechaussee is known as the fourth armed force. Together with the Royal Army, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, the Royal Marechaussee forms the military service as a part of the Ministry of Defence. However, authority for and control of the Marechaussee is a shared responsibility of several Ministries. The work of the Marechaussee in implementing administrative and legislative regulations serves a broad social interest. Service to society is always first and foremost.

History

The Royal Marechaussee has a long history dating back to 26 October 1814, when the ruling monarch, later to become King Willem I, signed the decree to establish a Marechaussee corps. In the text of the first Article of the decree, written in French, the Marechaussee received a mission, which is still reflected in its tasks today:
'A Marechaussee Corps shall be established to maintain order, to ensure the enforcement of the law and to monitor the safety of the borders and highways.'

The task of the Corps was twofold: in addition to carrying out police services for the armed forces, the Marechaussee also acted as an organ of the National Police. This remained so until the mobilisation period of 1914-1918, which signified a turning point in the history of the Corps. Because of the increase in the duties for the armed forces, a special police corps, known as the Corps of Police Troops, was set up for that purpose in 1919. Virtually the only task that remained for the Marechaussee was that of the National Police Corps, a situation which was to continue until 1940. On 5 July of the same year, the Marechaussee lost the 'Royal' prefix when, by order of the occupying forces, the Corps was absorbed in the civil police. Thus the Corps also lost its military status. Furthermore, the regional and district constabularies were abolished as such and incorporated in the Marechaussee, thus creating one National Police Corps under the name ofMarechaussee for duties outside the towns. Outside the Netherlands, the name Royal Marechaussee remained in existence. Some two hundred members of the Corps from the southern part of the country managed to escape to England during the occupation. There, their duties included protecting the Dutch Royal Family and performing police services in the 'Prinses Irene Brigade'. After the liberation in 1945, the Royal Marechaussee regained the status of a military police corps with military and civil tasks. The government maintained one rural police corps, the National Police Force, which continued to replace the old regional and district constabularies.

Mission Statement

In conjunction with Article 2 of the Police Act, the Royal Marechaussee derives the following mission statement from the assignments drawn up by the legislator:
'Subordinate to the competent authorities and in accordance with current legislation, to play its designated role in the actual upholding of the rule of law and to provide assistance to those in need thereof, as well as to contribute to the effectiveness of the armed forces.'
In order to realise this objective, personnel are required to show a constant willingness to adapt to the changing needs of society. In this respect, the quality of the way in which the task is carried out is always of paramount importance. An optimal combination of a military outlook and police skills must also guarantee this quality in the future. This explains the constant attention given to maintaining the standard of quality, both in training and in the day-to-day duties.

organisation

The Commander of the Royal Marechaussee, a senior officer in the rank of Major General, is in command of an organisation, which comprises some 5,500 men and women. These men and women are divided over several tasks in six districts in the Netherlands, a staff and some special divisions both within the Netherlands and abroad.

Responsibilities

The Commandert of the Royal Marechaussee serves directly under the Minister of Defence, to whom he is responsible for part of the work of the Marechaussee. Other Ministries too, however, are closely involved with the tasks of the Royal Marechaussee. Thus the Justice Minister and State Secretary are the government officials responsible for border control, for the police and security task on civil aviation premises and for the protection of the members of the Royal House. The support task, on the other hand, is the responsibility of the Minister of Home Affairs.

Powers

In order to be able to carry out the Marechaussee's police task properly, investigative powers are necessary. The Code of Criminal Procedure gives this authority to officers and NCOs. Provided they hold specific managerial functions, they can act as Assistant Public Prosecutor should the need arise.
Tasks of the Royal Marechaussee : Over the past few years, many new tasks have been assigned to the Royal Marechaussee; there has been a considerable increase in the number of civil (police) tasks in particular. For the execution of tasks, as described in the 1993 Police Act, the Marechaussee is on a par with the police.
Military Tasks ::
Police for the Armed Forces The Royal Marechaussee serves as a police force for the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Royal Netherlands Army and the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Consequently, Marechaussee brigades or posts are based wherever there are barracks, on or near military air bases and naval ports and with units of the Dutch armed forces serving abroad. In addition, the Marechaussee acts as a police organisation for all foreign armed forces stationed in the Netherlands, as well as for international military headquarters.
The Marechaussee's military task is twofold. On some occasions it is characterised by prevention and service; at other times its role is one of law enforcement. Examples of preventative activities are police patrols, traffic duties, maintaining order during exercises, column escorts and giving advice and information to commanders and their personnel. The law enforcement activities include, for example, monitoring the enforcement of the Road Traffic Act and of environmental legislation and conducting criminal investigation.

Royal Marechaussee Central Traffic Office

The Dutch road network has to cope with a vast amount of military traffic every year. It is the task of the Royal Marechaussee Central Traffic Office to co-ordinate this traffic as efficiently as possible with civilian traffic. Personnel of the Royal Marechaussee thus escort all military columns and most 'out-of-gauge' transports. A modern, nation-wide mobile phone network is used in the co-ordination of military and civilian traffic.

103 Royal Marechaussee Squadron

103 Royal Marechaussee Squadron carries out police duties for 1 Division and other Dutch army units. In peacetime, the squadron consists of a staff, a logistics platoon and a number of other platoons. The activities of the 103 Royal Marechaussee Squadron consist mainly of traffic duties, for which 1 Division determines the requirement.

Civil Tasks

Protection of the Royal House : Since time immemorial, Marechaussee personnel have been protecting members of the Royal House. The guarding of the palaces was entrusted to the Marechaussee as far back as 1908 when, at the request of Queen Wilhelmina, the guard at Het Loo Palace was taken over from the garden personnel, who had also been responsible for guarding the palace (and were known as the 'clogs guard'). As well as the protection services at the royal palaces in the Netherlands, Marechaussee personnel also carry out ceremonial tasks, such as escorts, special escorts and guards of honour. In respect of the protection of members of the Royal House, the special bond between the Royal house and the Marechaussee cannot be ignored. This long-standing connection was given additional lustre on 3 July 1956, when Queen Beatrix, still a princess at the time, became the Patron of the Royal Marechaussee.

Security official residence
Prime Minister

The protection of the grounds around the Prime Minister's official residence is also one of the tasks of the Marechaussee. This residence, known as 'het Catshuis', has from time immemorial been the home of the Prime Minister.
Guarding the Central Bank The Royal Marechaussee carries out security tasks, in particular the protection of security transports, for the Central Bank : of the Netherlands. For this reason, Marechaussee personnel are based at the bank itself, also in order to be able to assist the Bank's own security personnel in the event of robberies or other calamities.
Police and security tasks on civil aviation premises : The fact that the Royal Marechaussee performs police and security duties at the Dutch national airport, Schiphol, is widely known. But Marechaussee personnel are also present at the airports in Rotterdam, Maastricht, Beek, Eindhoven and Groningen. Their police task entails monitoring the traffic, including traffic control and dealing with traffic accidents, and enforcing special laws. Combating organised crime and maintaining public order also fall into this category. The security task consists primarily of conducting security surveillance, taking specific measures with regard to high-risk flights and also checking passengers' hand luggage. These checks are carried out under the supervision and responsibility of the Royal Marechaussee by more than a thousand personnel of a security firm.

Police Assistance

With a view to maintaining public order and investigating offences, the Marechaussee can, if required, provide support for the civil police. The Riot Squad, which is trained in both individual and collective control of violence, is ideal for this purpose. The Marechausee provides a special form of support on St Maarten in the Dutch West Indies in order to assist in maintaining the rule of law. Since the beginning of 1991, Marechaussee experts have been assisting the investigation teams of theDutch West Indies Police Force, in the Windward Islands unit.
The 1993 Police Act assigns a task to the Royal Marechaussee in respect of cross-border crime. Teams are thus available for projects designated by the Public Prosecutions Department in the border areas, such as combating migrant trafficking.

Border Control

The implementation of the Schengen Agreement in 1994 signified the end of the control of the internal borders of the Schengen countries (Portugal, Spain, France, Germany and the Benelux). For the Netherlands, this means that there is no longer any control of individuals at the eastern and southern borders. The tasks of the Royal Marechaussee now focus on monitoring the crossing points on the external borders of the Schengen area: seaports (with the exception of Rotterdam), the national airport Schiphol and other aviation sites. Border control concentrates on, for example, the checking of individuals, their travel documents and their means of support. The Marechaussee is thus involved in a wide range of activities. These include not only turning away undesirable aliens and detaining suspects, but also enforcing judgements and providing emergency travel documents. Lastly, Marechaussee personnel look after the transfer of aliens under expulsion order to foreign authorities and receive Dutch nationals who are deemed to be undesirable in other countries. Another important aspect of border control is criminal investigation relating to the Opium Act, the Firearms Act and the Road Traffic Act. In order to be able to carry out this task effectively, the Marechaussee has terminals at the border crossing points providing access to a central database, which contains particulars of all individuals on record. Thanks to this system, requested details can be reproduced quickly. The central register is not only kept permanently up to date, but also guarantees tight security. The crossing points are also linked up to a national Police Data Communication System in order to speed up the transfer of messages.

Mobile Monitoring of Aliens

Because of the disappearance of control at the internal borders, the Netherlands was faced with a substantial influx of aliens from our neighbouring countries and from countries further away. The government decided, therefore, to give the Marechaussee the task of carrying out the Mobile Monitoring of Aliens, abbreviated in Dutch to MTV. The MTV concentrates on aliens 'on the move', in this case those aliens entering the Netherlands from Germany or Belgium. The control activities take place in the area behind the border, at locations where there is (as yet) no integration with other traffic. This simplifies any necessary removal of aliens, as it is easy to prove at such an early stage that they have come from another country. A similar approach is used for cross-border rail traffic.

Support Services

Special Security Missions Brigade : The Commander of the Royal Marechaussee has a special unit at his disposal in the form of the Special Security Missions Brigade ; he can deploy this unit when fast and specialist action is needed. The brigade can operate in conjunction with civilian or military units, but is also in a position to be able to operate independently. For this purpose, the brigade is staffed with observation and arrest teams. The personnel, who have had specialised training, can be deployed for a wide array of tasks, ranging from forced entries into buildings and the protection of objects and individuals to the identification of (improvised) explosives. The personal protection equipment is, of course, adapted to suit the nature of the operations. The brigade is also equipped with fast and practical vehicles to allow it to perform its task well.

Central Investigation Bureau

The Royal Marechaussee organisation also includes a Central Investigation Bureau, which has both an informative and executive task. The informative task includes, for example, the processing and distribution of investigative information. The executive task includes the provision of support in complex investigations. In the course of these activities, the Central Investigation Bureau works closely with the National Criminal Intelligence Division of the National Police Services Force.

Dangerous Goods Storage and Transport Inspection

The increase in the number of transports of dangerous goods within the armed forces led to a need for binding legislation, which came into effect in 1969. Military inspectors were granted the status of special investigating officer and were responsible for monitoring the observance of the Explosive Substances Regulations in the armed forces. In 1992, the organisation responsible for this, the Dangerous Goods Storage and Transport Inspection Section, was incorporated in the Royal Marechaussee in what is known as an interservice agency. This organisation keeps an eye on the transportation of ammunition or dangerous substances. In the case of larger exercises, inspectors monitor the safe supply and removal of ammunition and fuel. The supervision of the storage and transportation of dangerous substances is not, incidentally, confined to Dutch territory. The inspectors are also authorised to enforce the legislation in Dutch units in Germany.

International Co-operation
UN Peace Operations

The Netherlands participates ever more frequently in peace operations conducted under the flag of the United Nations. These could be missions intended to prevent war or to ensure international peace and security. For Marechaussee personnel, who are in principle fully deployable for these tasks, such missions could take various forms. Since 1950, Marechaussee personnel have been deployed in various UN missions. Recent examples have been participation in various UN tasks in the former Yugoslavia with the United Nations International Police Task (UNIPTF) and as a military police for Dutch units.

Other Peace operations

Marechaussee personnel also take part in international missions outside the context of the UN. From 1982 till 1995, the Marechaussee thus supplied the Force Military Police Unit for the Multinational Force & Observers in the Sinai'. Until the end of 1996, Marechaussee personnel took part in a multinational police operation in Mostar, where the Western European Union helped to create the conditions for a neutral police force.

The Training Centre

The Royal Marechaussee Training Centre is one of the longest standing institutes for police training in the Netherlands. The institute, housed in the King Willem III Barracks in Apeldoom, falls under the direct responsibility of the Commander of the Royal Marechaussee. Marechaussee personnel of all ranks receive their training at the two schools of Training Centre. In addition to the Training School for Regular Personnel, which also provides the training for fixed-term privates and corporals (known in Dutch as marechaussees) and fixed-term sergeants, the Marechaussee Training Centre has the Royal Marechaussee School for all career and specialist training. These provide a broad package, ranging from training for detectives, drug and firearms detectives and traffic and drivers training to training for the riot squad. During their professional and career training, regular personnel are familiarised in general terms with the support task. The Public Order and Security Group is responsible for the instruction for specialist functions, all follow-up training for the riot squad and the supporting units.
The Marechaussee training courses are aimed at various categories of personnel. They do not only cover the training for the lower ranks, but also provide a fitting programme for NCOs and officers. The distinction between short-term contracts and permanent contracts plays a role in this respect. There is also a possibility of changing a short-term contract to a permanent, just as there is the opportunity of progressing from NCO to officer. The quality of the individuals involved and the needs of the organisation constitute the deciding factor in this respect.

The web site : www.kmar.nl