This military force had been created a short time before in France itself to replace the Marechaussee (mounted corps of marshals) of the former monarchy.

The major strikes and tense social conditions of the 1930s brought important changes in the organization of the Rijkswacht/Gendarmerie, in particular through the expansion of the mobile units created in 1913.

In 1938 a ceremonial Royal Escort was created as part of the Gendarmerie, wearing the full dress uniform that had distinguished mounted gendarmes prior to 1914.

During the Second World War, the Rijkswacht/Gendarmerie was restricted to the role of administrative and legal police force, primarily concerned with road traffic.

It was also the period of fighting communist cells (CCC), serious and deadly criminal activities by gangs (like the Brabant killers, a case that was never solved) and hooliganism (Heysel Stadium disaster).

This restructuring occurred after the 'black' 1980s of the Brabant killers, Heysel Stadium disaster, Cellules Communistes Combattantes (CCC), and other criminal and terrorist activity, against which the Gendarmerie was deemed ineffective.

At the end of the 1990s, following adverse reports arising from the Dutroux Affair, the Belgian government decided to dissolve the existing police forces.

The parliamentary commission, which investigated the errors that were made during the search for the missing children, stated that the three police organisations did not work effectively and efficiently together.

The ranks of the Rijkswacht/Gendarmerie were: During much of its history the Rijkswacht/Gendarmerie wore a distinctive black and red uniform with high-collared tunics, white aiguillettes and wide topped kepis, dating from the nineteenth century (see first photograph above).

All modern Belgian police officers wear a "soft" civilian style uniform in keeping with the image required by the Community Oriented Policing-strategy.