G Gendarmery of the MR

Public Law No. 8 [The Gendarmery Act] (9/1926)

• §1 A Gendarmery shall be established in the Serene Monastic Republic of the Holy Mountain for the purpose of maintaining law, order and security in the Monastic Republic.
• §2 A detachment of Gendarmery shall be maintained in each of the demes.
• §3 Each detachment shall consist of a land arm and a marine arm.
• §4 The Gendarmery of the Monastic Republic is tasked with:
  • a. maintaining law and public order;
  • b. investigating crime in accordance with the principles of the Code of Criminal Procedure;
  • c. controlling and supervising road traffic;
  • d. patroling the territorial waters of the Monastic Republic;
  • e. assisting authorities to fulfill their duties in keeping with the respective laws and provisions;
  • f. preventing crime and accidents;
  • g. assisting in cases of natural or man-made disasters,
  • h. searching for persons reported missing, and
  • i. staffing the customs stations.
• §5 The Gendarmery shall consist of a colonel in charge, nine assisting officers and a minimum of 30 enlisted personnel in each detachment.
• §6 The Prosforion Gendarmery shall staff the Dafni station.
• §7 Gendarmery personnel may be deprived of rank, honours, and pensions only in the manner described by Law.
• §8 Only male Gendarmery personnel may enter the Holy Mountain and then only by invitation.
• Amendment 1 (?)
  • An air arm of the Gendarmery shall be established with the appropriate vehicles and staff to carry out search-and-rescue missions.

Organization

• The Land Force (χωροφυλάκ).
  • Each town has a detachment of the gendarmery. Each detachment consists of a captain, two lieutenants, and the enlisted personnel.
• The Air Fleet (αεροφυλάκ)
  • Each town has a search-and-rescue helicopter.
  • Each town has a patrol helicopter.
  • A medevac helicopter is housed at the hospital in Prosforion.
• The Coast Guard (ακτοφυλάκ)
  • Each of the towns and the gendarmery post has a patrol craft.
  • Each of the towns has a search-and-rescue vessel.
  • In each of the towns the coastguard station is located just outside the town limits.

The Uniforms

• Administrative uniform
  • The gendarme’s service uniform, worn when assigned to administrative duties, consists of a dark blue (the color of the U.S. Air Force blues) open-necked tunic with an attached belt and trousers or skirt, worn with a light blue shirt and dark blue clip-on tie. The buttons on the tunic are embossed with the letters AO.
  • Female gendarmes may wear skirt or trousers at their own discretion.
  • Indication of rank is located on epaulettes on the tunic.
  • The insignia is worn on the left breast of the tunic.
  • The shoes worn with the service uniform are black oxfords made of artificial leather. Socks are black.
  • When wearing a skirt, female gendarmes wear clear seamless hose.
  • When necessary a dark blue regulation sweater may be worn.

• Patrol uniform
  • Male and female gendarmes on patrol duty (in vehicles, on bicycles, or afoot) wear a dark blue open-necked shirt without a tie, a white undershirt, and dark blue combat trousers (cargo pocket style with two thigh pockets and two conventional side and rear pockets).
  • Combat boots are the foot gear.
  • Regulation rain gear is worn in inclement weather.
  • Gendarmes on patrol duty do not carry firearms, but all are equipped with expandable batons, tasers and incapacitant spray.

• Headgear
  • The basic headgear is the beret of different colors for the different arms of the gendarmery: light blue for the air arm, black for the land arm, dark blue for the marine arm. All officers wear scarlet berets.
  • The badge on the beret is an enamel pin depicting the flag of the Monastic Republic within two crossed olive branches.
  • Gendarmes on bicycle patrol wear bicycle helmets.

• Safety gear
  • Safety gear, such as helmets, flotation devices, stab vests, and high visibility jackets are worn as necessary.

The Evzones

• The evzones are the ceremonial branch of the gendarmery. They carry out the following duties:

1. Accompanying the Archimandrite on official foreign visits and on his visits to the Lowland and the Isles.
2. Offering honors to and welcoming foreign officials on visit.
3. Guarding the government buildings in Prosforion, Aktí. and Amoulián.
4. Guarding the Museum of Athonite Antiquities in Prosforion.

• Their uniform is like that of the Greek evzones, but with a change in color. In place of the Greek red, the evzones of the Monastic Republic have green.
• The basic elements of the uniform are:
  • The phareon, a green baize garrison cap with a long (waist length) black silk tassel. Officers have a gold tassel.
  • A white shirt with wide sleeves.
  • A green waistcoat with gold embroidered designs.
  • A white cotton undershirt.
  • A green woolen fustanella kilt. In Athonite the Turkish word fístan is used. The kilts of officers extend to below the knees.
  • White woolen stockings.
  • Black-tasseled knee garters (kaltsodetes). Officers have gold-tasseled garters.
  • Green tsarouhi leather clogs with a black pompon. Officers have a gold pompon.
  • A leather cartridge belt and a semi-automatic rifle with bayonet.