List of federal police agencies

Federal police agencies are responsible for the enforcement of federal laws in countries with a federal constitution. Their exact role varies from country to country, but their work typically includes areas such as immigration control, investigating counterfeiting, policing of airports, and the protection of the head of state and of other members of federal institutions. They may also be responsible for the investigation and prevention of crimes which are not local to just one state or province; for example, kidnapping, narcotics trafficking, and fraud. The provision of law enforcement on land and in buildings owned or controlled by the federal government will also usually be the responsibility of a federal police agency.

In most countries, federal police agencies have relatively narrow police powers, as the individual states or provinces will usually run their own police forces to enforce laws within their own boundaries. However, in some countries federal police agencies have the responsibility for local law enforcement in territories which are outside the jurisdiction of any particular state. Sometimes, the federal police is also (as only police force) responsible for the law enforcement in small populated areas or towns, when there is no local police.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is atypical in that in addition to acting as a federal, or national, police agency and policing the country's three territories, it is also contracted by most of Canada's provinces and many municipalities to police those jurisdictions, even though they are constitutionally provincial responsibilities. This arrangement has been achieved by formal agreement between those provinces and the RCMP and reduces the number of agencies policing the same geographical area.

Examples of federal police agencies
Argentina
*Policía Federal Argentina (PFA)
*Gendarmería Nacional Argentina (GNA)
*Prefectura Naval Argentina (PNA)

Australia
*Australian Federal Police (AFP)

Austria
*Bundeskriminalamt, or BK
*

Belgium
*Belgian Federal Police

Brazil
*Brazilian Federal Police
*Brazilian Federal Highway Police
*Brazilian Federal Railroad Police

Canada
*Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
*Canadian Forces Military Police (MP)
*Canadian National Railway Police (CN Police)
*Canadian Pacific Railway Police Service (CPR Police)

Germany
*Bundeskriminalamt, or BKA
*Bundespolizei
*Polizei beim Deutschen Bundestag

India
*Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
*Indian Coast Guard
*Paramilitary forces of India - many of which have the status of police
**Central Reserve Police Force
**National Security Guard
**Special Frontier Force
**Special Protection Group

Mexico
*Federal Investigations Agency (AFI)
*Federal Preventive Police

Pakistan
*Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)

Poland
* (ABW)

Russia
*Federal Security Service (FSB)
*Ministry of the Interior (MVD)

Serbia
* Serbian Ministry of the Interior (MUP)

United Arab Emirates
*Federal Police Force

United Kingdom
*Serious Organised Crime Agency - Principal jurisdiction is England and Wales with more limited powers to operate in Scotland (where some of their activities require the permission of the Lord Advocate, the Scottish Ministers or the SCDEA) and Northern Ireland (where some of their activities require the permission of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland)
*Serious Fraud Office - Has jurisdiction over England and Wales and Northern Ireland but not Scotland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.

United States
See Federal law enforcement in the United States for a list of federal law enforcement agencies in the United States.

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