Defense of the
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Intern ...
is the responsibility of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, but local
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
matters are handled by the Marshall Islands Police, the national police force, as well as several
atoll
An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...
or
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
-based departments. There are two police forces which function under the name ''
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civil ...
Police'', a municipal department known otherwise as ''Kalgov Police'', in addition to law enforcement on the
U.S. military base on
Kwajalein Atoll separate from the
Government of the Marshall Islands
The government of the Marshall Islands operates under a mixed parliamentary-presidential system as set forth in its Constitution. Elections are held every four years in universal suffrage (for all citizens above the age of 18), with each of the 24 ...
, which is handled by the
Department of the Army Civilian Police
The Department of the Army Civilian Police (DACP) are the civilian federal law enforcement bodies of the Department of the Army of the United States of America. There is no centralized DACP agency, with all civilian law enforcement agencies of t ...
from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Previously, the law enforcement activity on the U.S. military installation was the responsibility of government contractor Alutiiq, LLC, which operated as “Kwajalein Police Department”, a government-owned, contractor operated entity. This operation transitioned to federal employees instead of the use of contractor-provided police officers under the administration of President Barack Obama, who directed federal agencies to review whether certain types of work should be reserved for federal employees as inherently governmental functions. While the law enforcement role on Kwajalein has transitioned to Department of the Army civilian police officers, who are federal employees, Alutiiq still remains on Kwajalein, as the “Security and Access Control Contractor”, providing security guard patrols, Customs/TSA services, marine patrol, and explosives/narcotics detection canines.
The Marshall Islands has provided police officers to the
Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands
The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), also known as Operation Helpem Fren, Operation Anode and Operation Rata (by New Zealand), was created in 2003 in response to a request for international aid by the Governor-General of ...
since May 2006.
According to The U.S. Department of State, "After gaining military control of the Marshall Islands from Japan in 1944, the United States assumed administrative control of the Marshall Islands under United Nations auspices as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands following the end of World War II."
Marshall Islands police officer Clemson Jormelu is contingent commander of the Marshall Islands Police serving as part of RAMSI's Participating Police Force (PPF).
References
External links
*http://www.lawenforcementjobs.com/content.cfm?ESID=zoom&JobID=168439
*http://www.spc.int/prism/country/mh/stats/Social/Crime/offses.htm
*https://web.archive.org/web/20070928014045/http://www.ramsi.org/node/23
*http://www.isiservicescorp.com/mjcpatch.html
Politics of the Marshall Islands
Law of the Marshall Islands
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