TheHellenic Gendarmerie (Greek:Ελληνική Χωροφυλακή,Elliniki Chorofylaki) was the nationalgendarmerie andmilitary police (until 1951) force ofGreece.

Hellenic Gendarmerie Ελληνική Χωροφυλακή
Emblem of Hellenic Gendarmerie, 1969–1984
War flag of the Hellenic Gendarmerie, 1951–1984
Agency overview
Formed	1833
Dissolved	1984
Superseding agency	Hellenic Police
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Greece
General nature	Gendarmerie
Operational structure
Parent agency	Ministry of Public Order
Notables
Person	ColonelFrançois Graillard [el] (first)
Anniversaries	St Irene's feast day (Annually, 5 May) Commemoration of the fallen in theBattle of Athens (Annually, 6 December)

The Greek Gendarmerie was established after the enthronement ofKing Otto in 1833 as theRoyal Gendarmerie (Greek:Βασιλική Χωροφυλακή) and modeled after theFrenchNational Gendarmerie. It was at that time formally part of thearmy and under the authority of the Army Ministry. Several foreign advisers (particularly fromBavaria, 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, primarily 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 theMacedonian Struggle, and theBalkan andFirst World Wars. As a result, it tended to neglect civilian matters, something addressed with the establishment of a civiliancity police force forAttica in 1920, which would eventually be expanded to urban centers in the entire country.

Modernization of the country's police forces was stunted by the successive periods of political instability, which culminated in theregime ofIoannis Metaxas and theSecond World War. After the war, however,British experts were brought in to help reform the police along the lines of theBritish Police. As a result, after 1946 the police forces ceased to be a formal part of theDefence Ministry, although they retained several military features and were organized along military lines.

Reflecting a new emphasis on civilian policing, in 1984 both the Gendarmerie and the Cities Police were merged into a single unifiedHellenic Police.^[1] Although elements of the former military structure and hierarchy were maintained, explicit characteristics of a "militarily organized" force (such ascourts-martial) were lost.

• After the War was Over, Mark Mazower (Reconstructing the family, nation and state in Greece)

• Greek Police official site