Myanmar Police Force

Law enforcement agency

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Myanmar Police Force" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Law enforcement agency

Myanmar Police Force
မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ ရဲတပ်ဖွဲ့

Coat of arms

Emblem

Flag

Motto| "ကူညီပါရစေ"
(Let me help you.)
Agency overview
Formed| 1964; 61 years ago (1964)
Preceding agency|

* Indian Imperial Police

Employees| 93,000 (2012)[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction| Myanmar
Legal jurisdiction| Myanmar
General nature|

* Civilian police

Operational structure
Headquarters| Naypyidaw
Elected officer responsible|

* Moe Aung, Minister of Home Affairs

Agency executive|

* Lieutenant general Ni Lin Aung, Chief of Police[2]

Parent agency| Ministry of Home Affairs
Child agencies|

* State and Division Police
* Special Forces
* Training Department
* Reserve Units
* Combat Police Battalions
* Anti-Narcotics Task Force

Website
Official website

The Myanmar Police Force (Burmese: မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ ရဲတပ်ဖွဲ့), formerly the People's Police Force (ပြည်သူ့ ရဲတပ်ဖွဲ့), is the law enforcement agency of Myanmar. It was established in 1964 as an independent department under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

## History

[edit]

The Police Force in Myanmar has an extensive history; the police force also includes local police and regional police in different jurisdictions.

### British rule in Myanmar

[edit]

The primary police force in British Burma was the Burma Police. In addition, there was a paramilitary Burma Military Police, the Railway Police, and the Rangoon Town Police. From roughly 1891, most executive positions within the Burma Police were filled by members of the Indian Imperial Police cadre.

In 1872 the third mayor of Mergui District, Sir Ashly Din (1870–1875) assigned the first police officer to be stationed at Maliwan, a village 24 miles north of current Victoria Point.

Perhaps the most famous policeman in Burma from this period is the author George Orwell, who in 1922 joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma. Another famous colonial policeman in Burma was Hector Hugh Munro, known as Saki.

### Post-independence (1948–present)

[edit]

Myanmar police officers blocking protesters in Bahan Township, Yangon.

On 16 March 1988 following the killing of two students during the pro-democracy demonstrations, students marching on Prome Road were confronted near Inya Lake by the security force riot police and many beaten to death or drowned.

Despite controversies and corruption accusations, the Burmese police and the Home Affairs Ministry play an important role in the country, solving numerous crimes.

Police watching the Bangladesh border

The national police are made up of several smaller entities, including

* Myanmar Railways Police
* Intelligence division

## Organisation

[edit]

The current Director General of Myanmar Police Force is Major General Zin Min Htet with its headquarters in Naypyidaw. Its command structure is based on established civil jurisdictions. Under the command of police headquarters, state and region police forces have been established in respective territories of states and divisions with headquarters in their capital cities.[3]

### State and division police forces

[edit]

There are 14 state and divisional police forces and three additional state/division police forces commanded by police brigadiers or colonels. Their jurisdictions are divided according to the Civil Administration. The states and divisions, additional states have the same status.

Each state and divisional police force consist of four components.

* Office of the Commander of the State and Divisional Police Force
* Office of the Commander of the District Police Force
* Office of the Commander of the Township Police Force
* Police Stations

In previous time, the district police forces are classified into two classes depending on the area, population and development, namely A and B Class. Commanders of the A Class District Police Forces are police lieutenant colonels, and B Classes are police majors, but there is no classification and all districts assigned with lieutenant colonel. Commanders of township police forces are police majors, and police station officers are police captains.

### Special Departments

[edit]

There are four Special Departments, in which the first ten departments are headed by the police brigadier generals and the remaining two are by police colonels.

* Security Police Force
* Border Guard Police Force
* Special Intelligence Department (Special Branch)
* Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
* Railways Police Department
* Anti-human Trafficking Police Force
* Maritime Police force
* Aviation Police Force
* Drug Enforcement Division
* Financial Investigation force
* Myanmar Traffic Police
* Tourist Security Police Force
* Oil Field Security Police Force
* Forestry Security Police Force
* Highway Police Force
* Municipal Police Department

### Training Centres

[edit]

There are three main Training Centers, one Central Training Institute of Myanmar Police Force and Three Police Training Depots. The State and Divisional Police Forces have their own training centres for refresher courses and Junior Leader (NCO) Courses.

Bachelor's degree holders from Distance Learning University were disqualified from sitting the SIP exam. Thus vast numbers of Bachelor holding police personal were concerned for their future.

Course Name  | Duration

|

Deputy Superintendent Cadet Course  | 50 weeks
Sub-Inspector Cadet Course  | 6 weeks
Surveillance Officer Course  | 6 weeks
Investigation Officer Course  | 6 weeks
Police Station Officer Course  | 8 weeks
Staff Officer Course  | 6 weeks
Township Police Commander Course  | 8 weeks
District Police Commander Course  | 12 weeks

#### No. 1 Police Training Depot

[edit]

The No.1 Police Training Depot is commanded by a Police Lieutenant Colonel and undertakes:

Course Name  | Duration

|

Basic Training Course for Lance Corporal and Corporal  | 4 weeks
Warrant Officer and Police Sergeants Course  | 12 Weeks
Basic Training Course for Constables  | 24 weeks
Clerical Training  | 4 weeks
Instructor Renewal Course  | 4 weeks

#### No. 2 Police Training Depot

[edit]

The No.2 Police Training Depot is also commanded by a Police Lieutenant Colonel, and undertakes only Basic Training Course for Constables, which normally takes around 6 months to complete.

Course Name  | Duration

|

Basic Training Course for Constables  | 6 Months

#### Taung Lay Lone Police Training Depot

[edit]

The Taung Lay Lone Police Training Depot is commanded by a Police Lieutenant Colonel and undertakes:

Course Name  | Duration

|

Basic Training Course for lance corporal and Corporal  | 4 weeks
Warrant Officer and Police Sergeants Course  | 12 Weeks
Basic Training Course for Constables  | 6 Months

### Combat Police Battalions (SWAT)

[edit]

There are sixteen Police Battalions to carry out general security duties under the command of Battalion Control Command. The Battalion Commandants are Police Lieutenant Colonels. As the populace of the cities including Yangon and Mandalay have been increased day after day, problems on social, economy and politics are risen up that could lead to emergence of civil unrest and sabotage. It is necessary to prevent from destruction and harassment, VIP and project factories and workshops, security of diplomats and their embassies. Seven of these Police Battalions are situated in the Yangon Divisional areas and two in Mandalay and three in Arakan, one in Sagaing, one in Mon State, one in Pegu, one in Prome.

These specially-trained and combat capable battalions are formed with personnel from former Riot Security Police, better known as "Lon Htein" Units. Each battalion consists of 500+ personnel and these battalions are supported by two support battalions, which include signal and medical units. These battalions structure are similar to that of Army's Light Infantry Battalions and they are subordinate to their respective Regional Military Commands.[1]

* 1st Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Hlawga)
* 2nd Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Maungtaw)
* 3rd Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Shwemyayar)
* 4th Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Shwesaryan)
* 5th Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Hmawbi)
* 6th Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Shwepyitha)
* 7th Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Kyauktan)
* 8th Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Mingaladon)
* 9th Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Hlaingthaya)
* 10th Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Pyay/Prome)
* 11th Combat Police Battalion
* 12th Combat Police Battalion
* 14th Combat Police Battalion (HQ at Pa Lake, Mandalay)
* 15th Combat Police Battalion
* 16th Combat Police Battalion

### Anti-Narcotic Task Forces

[edit]

26 special anti-narcotic task forces have been established under the direction of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control.

## Equipment

[edit]

### Small arms

[edit]

Myanmar Police Force uses a wide range of weapons and ammunitions, ranging from Second World War vintage weapons to modern sophisticated ones.

Most of the weapons are either seized from ethnic militias and criminals or are locally-produced copies of the G3 and other weapons phased out by the army.

Name  | Country of origin  | Type  | References

|
|
|

Enfield revolver |  United Kingdom | Revolver |
Colt Detective Special |  United States |
Ka Pa Sa MA5 MKI |  Myanmar | Semi-automatic pistol |
Ka Pa Sa MA5 MKII |
Norinco NR-08 |  China | Submachine gun |
Ka Pa Sa BA-52 |  Myanmar |
Ka Pa Sa BA-93 |
Ka Pa Sa BA-94 |
Ka Pa Sa MA13 MKI |
Ka Pa Sa MA13 MKII |
Sten Gun |  United Kingdom |
Greener GP  |  United States | Shotgun | [4]
Ka Pa Sa BA63 |  Myanmar | Assault rifle |
Ka Pa Sa MA11 |
Ka Pa Sa MA3 |
Lee–Enfield |  United Kingdom | [5]
M1 carbine |  United States |
M1 Garand |
M16 rifle | [4]
M4 carbine |
Type 56 |  China |
Type 56 |
Type 63 |
Norinco CQ |
Norinco QBZ 97 |
AK-47 |  Soviet Union |
Bren Gun |  United Kingdom | Machine gun |
Ka Pa Sa BA64 |  Myanmar |
Ka Pa Sa MA12 |
Type 81 |  China |
Type 56 |
M40 rifle |  United States | Sniper rifle |
Ka Pa Sa BA100 |  Myanmar |
Ka Pa Sa MAS MKII |

### Non-Lethal Weapons

[edit]

* Taser
* Pepper Spray cans
* Pepper-spray projectile gun
* Pepperball
* Rubber, beanbag, & plastic bullet
* Baton
* Riot shield
* M84 stun grenade
* Tear gas
* M6/M7 series chemical grenade
* Sting grenade

### Automobiles

[edit]

#### Cars and Trucks

[edit]

* Chevrolet Suburban (confiscated item),
* Range Rover donated by Foreign Organisations for Anti-drugs Enforcement,
* Mercedes Benz C-Class sedan (confiscated item),
* Toyota Dyna paddy wagon (Private-owned vehicles are commonly called volunteer patrol cars),
* Toyota closed double cab (confiscated item, used by escort team, patrol),
* Mitsubishi double cab (confiscated item, used by Police Col, Yangon),
* Mitsubishi pickup (confiscated item, used by Township Police Station, Yangon),
* Mitsubishi pickup (confiscated item, used by Police Lt Col, Yangon),
* Toyota pickup (confiscated item, used by Township Police Station, Yangon),
* FAW pickup,
* Honda Saloon, Patrol car,
* Jeep, Used by police station,
* Mazda B pick-up, Used by police station,
* Toyota Celica, used as a police lead vehicle and as a high-speed police car to arrest sport cars,
* Nissan Fairlady Z, used as a police lead vehicle and as a high-speed police car to arrest sport cars.

### Armoured vehicles

[edit]

Photo  | Model  | Type  | Quantity  | Origin  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

Armoured vehicle/Armoured personnel carrier
| ZFB-05 | Armoured personnel carrier | 10[6] |  China  | Received by 2011, they were transferred to police from Myanmar Army.[6]
| Sinotruk HOWO | Water cannon truck  | unknown  |  China  | One of the most widely used against protesters in February 2021 Myanmar.
| BAAC-87 | Armoured personnel carrier | unknown  |  Myanmar  | One of the most widely used against protesters in February 2021 Myanmar.

### Coastal Patrol Craft

[edit]

Class  | Builder  | Serial Number  | Year Entered Service  | Armament  | Note

|
|
|
|
|

PGM class |  Myanmar | 331
332
333
334 | 2012 | machine guns |

### River Patrol Boat

[edit]

Class  | Builder  | Serial Number  | Year Entered Service  | Armament  | Note

|
|
|
|
|

PCE class |  Myanmar,  China | 171
151
152
153
154
156
001
002
003
161
162 | 2013 | machine guns |

## Rank structure and insignia

[edit]

### Commissioned officers

[edit]

Rank group  | General / flag officers  | Senior officers  | Junior officers

|
|
|

Myanmar Police Force

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
ရဲဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး
raaibauilaʻ khayupaʻ krīʺ | ဒုတိယရဲဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး
dautaiya raaibauilaʻ khayupaʻ krīʺ | ရဲဗိုလ်ချုပ်
raaibauilaʻ khayupaʻ | ရဲမှူးချုပ်
raaimahūʺ khayupaʻ | ရဲမှူးကြီး
raaimahūʺ karī | ဒုတိယရဲမှူးကြီး
dautaiya raaimahūʺ karī | ရဲမှူး
raaimahūʺ | ဒုတိယရဲမှူး
dautaiya raaimahūʺ | ရဲအုပ်
raai ’aupaʻ | ဒုတိယရဲအုပ်
dautaiya raai ’aupaʻ | ဒုတိယရဲအုပ်လောင်း
dautaiya raai ’aupaʻ laoṅaʻʺ

### Enlisted ranks

[edit]

Rank group  | Senior NCOs  | Junior NCOs  | Enlisted

|
|
|

Myanmar Police Force

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | No insignia
ရဲအရာခံဗိုလ်
Raai ’araā khaṃ bauilaʻ | ရဲတပ်ကြပ်ကြီး
Raai tapaʻ karpaʻ krīʺ | ရဲတပ်ကြပ်
Raai tapaʻ karpaʻ | ဒုတိယရဲတပ်ကြပ်
Dautaiya tapaʻ karpaʻ | ရဲတပ်သား
Raai tapaʻ saāʺ | ရဲတပ်သားသစ်
Raai tapaʻ saāʺ sacaʻ

## See also

[edit]

* Myanmar portal
* Current events portal

* Aung San
* Rangoon bombing
* Human rights in Burma
* Crime in Burma
* Bureau of Special Investigation

## References

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Police of Myanmar.

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ a b Selth 2012, p. 59.
2. ^ "Deputy Minister appointed and concurrently assigned to the duties of Chief of Myanmar Police Force". Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
3. ^ "Myanmar Police Force". ASEANPOL. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
4. ^ a b The Greener Police Shotgun: Engineered gun control? May 20, 2017. Chris Egert. Guns.com Archived November 30, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ "The Enfield No.4 in Myanmar after WWII". 13 May 2023. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023.
6. ^ a b "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2015.

### Sources

[edit]

#### Books

[edit]

* Selth, Andrew (2002). Burma's Armed Forces: Power Without Glory. Norwalk, CT: EastBridge. ISBN 1891936190.

#### Journal articles

[edit]

* Egreteau, Renaud (2021). "The Inchoate Legislative Scrutiny of the Myanmar Police Forces: A Study of the USDP Legislature (2011–16)". Contemporary Southeast Asia. 43 (3): 531–556\. ISSN 1793-284X. JSTOR 27096072.
* Selth, Andrew (2012). "Myanmar's Police Forces: Coercion, Continuity and Change". Contemporary Southeast Asia. 34 (1): 53–79\. doi:10.1355/cs34-1c. hdl:10072/47547. ISSN 0129-797X. JSTOR 41446244. S2CID 145259666. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.

* v
* t
* e

Myanmar articles

Myanmar is also known as Burma

History|

* Prehistory
* Waithali kingdom
* Pyu city-states
* Thaton kingdom
* Pagan kingdom
* Launggyet dynasty
* Myinsaing kingdom
* Pinya kingdom
* Sagaing kingdom
* Kingdom of Ava
* Prome kingdom
* Hanthawaddy kingdom
* Kingdom of Mrauk U
* Toungoo dynasty
* First Toungoo Empire
* Restored Hanthawaddy kingdom
* Konbaung dynasty
* Shan States
* Karenni States
* British rule
* Japanese occupation
* Union of Burma
* Socialist Republic
* 8888 Uprising
* State Peace and Development Council
* 2007 protests
* 2011–2015 political reforms
* 2021 coup
* Protests
* Civil war

Geography|

* Borders
* Cities
* Climate
* Deforestation
* Ecoregions
* Islands
* Lakes
* Mountains
* Protected areas
* Rivers
* Wildlife
* Earthquakes
* Volcanoes

Politics|

* Administrative divisions
* Constitution
* Corruption
* Elections
* Foreign relations
* Human rights
* LGBT
* Women's rights
* Conflict
* Law enforcement
* Military
* military rule
* commander-in-chief
* Parliament
* State Administration Council
* Political parties
* President
* list
* Prime Minister
* list

Economy|

* Agriculture
* Central bank
* Opium production
* Telecommunications
* Myanmar kyat (currency)
* Tourism
* Transportation
* Units of measurement

Society|

* Crime
* Demographics
* Education
* Environmental issues
* Ethnic groups
* Health
* Human trafficking
* Languages
* Religion
* Women
* Prostitution
* Sex trafficking

Culture|

* Art
* Anthem
* State Seal
* Capitals
* Calendar
* Zodiac
* Censorship
* Cinema
* Clothing
* Cuisine
* Dance
* Etymology
* Festivals
* Flag
* Folklore
* Literature
* Media
* Music
* National symbols
* Public holidays
* Sports
* Traditional
* Tattooing
* Twelve Auspicious Rites
* Weddings

* Category
* Commons
* Portal
* Outline of Myanmar

* v
* t
* e

Law enforcement in Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste (East Timor)
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* Macau

* Category
* Asia portal

* v
* t
* e

Police forces and law enforcement by country

International law enforcement organisations|

* Afripol (AU)
* Ameripol
* Aseanapol
* CARICC
* ECOPOL (ECO)
* Europol (EU)
* Frontex (EU)
* GCC-Pol (GCC)
* Interpol
* SELEC

Africa|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

Americas|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Greenland
* Grenada
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Peru
* St. Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* St. Vincent and the Grenadines
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Asia and Oceania|

* Afghanistan
* Australia
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Burma (Myanmar)
* Cambodia
* PR China
* Hong Kong
* Macau
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Kurdistan
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Mongolia
* Nauru
* Nepal
* New Zealand
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestine
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Thailand
* Tajikistan
* Tuvalu
* Timor-Leste
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

Europe|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Faroe Islands
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Kosovo
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* England and Wales
* Scotland
* Northern Ireland
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Vatican City

States with limited recognition|

* Artsakh
* Northern Cyprus
* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland
* Republic of China (Taiwan)

Defunct|

* Albania (Royal Albanian Gendarmerie)
* Czechoslovakia
* East Germany
* Philippines
* INP
* Philippine Constabulary
* Polish People's Republic
* Soviet Union
* South Vietnam
* Yugoslavia (SFR Yugoslavia)

* Border guard
* Coast guard
* Customs
* Law enforcement agency
* Types
* Intelligence agency
* Police academies by country

Authority control databases: National |

* Israel

|

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template