Gendarmerie (Switzerland)

The first bodies of Swiss gendarmes have their origins in the foot gendarmes that served Napoleon Bonaparte during his stay in Switzerland under French control. ==Structure==

Currently, police authority is exercised by individual cantons, which are like sovereign states. The cantonal police force is generally subdivided in two bodies: • the gendarmerie, the uniformed organization in which performs the tasks of police patrol and response, and may conduct judicial enquiries. • the sûreté, civil investigators who work in the Criminal Investigation Department (average and serious crime) However, in certain cantons, the gendarmes have the ability to conduct local or judicial enquiries. ==References==