The Royal Gendarmerie is the gendarmerie body of Morocco, and comes under the authority of the Ministry of Interior. The Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie was founded in 1957 by the late King Mohammed V. The structure of its functions has been determined by the two major different but complementary traditions. One of them has its roots in the history and culture of Morocco. The gendarmerie was born of Moroccan administrative and political system which has ensured public security and maintenance of public order for centuries. The second tradition (Makhzen) is much newer.  Like other members of the FIEP organization, the legislation which founded the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie describes it as a public force designed to guarantee public security and public order and the implementation of laws. This legislation text attaches the Gendarmerie to the Royal Moroccan Army, then constituting a military force in its structure, administration and command forms. It consists of officers and NCOs. 

The duties of The Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie are numerous and various in kind. However, the legislative body has given great importance to policing duties. The seventh Article of the founding text indicates that "The service aim of the gendarmerie is to ensure especially administrative, judicial and military policing activities directly and to help to the competent authorisations with the envisaged laws." This situation implies three attachments as to the utilisation of the Royal Gendarmerie:

To the National Defence Administration especially on the subjects of organisation equipment and military judicial policing ; To the Ministry of Justice for the implementation of judicial policing; and, To the Ministry of the Interior on the subject of Common Administration Policing.

The duties of the Royal Gendarmerie, in this field, have been determined by the code of Penal Trial Procedures of 1959. It performs all these duties under the administration of the royal prosecutor and control of the Court of Appeal. Duties consist of determination of the crime before the prosecution gathering the evidence, detection of perpetrators and bringing them before the authorised courts ;

And executing the orders of the judges after the prosecution. The personnel of the Royal Gendarmerie participates in the implementation Judicial Policing. The Royal Gendarmerie who acts with the characteristics of being a judicial oriented police officer according to the Court of Penal Proceedings

Detects and determines the violation of the laws as a judicial police; and As a police of public force, informs the royal prosecutor of crimes and offences over which they have no jurisdiction. To struggle against the continuous increase of crime and its international aspects and, on the other hand, the increase of the texts and their complexity the Royal Gendarmerie is modernising its methods and equipment continuously and reinforcing its efficiency by evaluating technical and scientific policing and criminal data. With this aim, two laboratories, which are under the administration of senior researchers, were established.
 

Further information: Groupe d'Intérvention de La Gendarmerie Royale

To perform various duties, the Royal Gendarmerie is organised as follows :

• Headquarters: which conducts the overall main duties of the force;

• 22 Regional Gendarmeries,

  • 64 Companies of Gendarmerie and

  • 322 posts of Gendarmerie where they are deployed to divided small security areas.

There is a Mobile Gendarmerie specifically in charge of maintaining public order and helping the regional gendarmerie occasionally. They are ; Air Gendarmerie, Maritime Gendarmerie, Beside these major units, specialised units have been founded with the commitment to perform the duties to meet special needs which requires special capabilities. But it is worth indicating that the regional posts have a special place among these units. They are rightly accepted as a main pole of the army. The base of the services is performed according to their levels. The remaining Headquarter and specialised units are available to provide needed supports to these posts. Within the hierarchical organisation posts become more autonomous which allows them to co-operate with the local authorities and public prosecutors office. The most recent units are the environment posts. They are specifically assigned to the protection of nature. Their activities are co-ordinated by the central unit for environment founded for this aim. Commanding on top of the organisation is a chief of staff gathering all the central units together. Today the Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie is commanded by a lieutenant general.