A specialist law enforcement agency is a law enforcement agency which specialises in the types of laws it enforces, or types of activities it undertakes, or geography it enforces laws in, or these in combination.
The specialisation may be imposed voluntarily by policy, consensus with other agencies, or logistical constraints, or it could be imposed legally by law and jurisdiction, or it is result of the historical evolution of the agency, or combinations thereof.
For example, some agencies only enforce laws related to taxation or customs. Other agencies can only operate in certain areas, for example government-occupied buildings and land, or on waterways. Some agencies have otherwise unrestricted jurisdiction, but specialise in certain types of operations, for example highway patrols.
Specialities can include:
Buildings and lands occupied or explicitly controlled by the institution and the institution's personnel, and public entering the buildings and precincts of the institution. For example, United States Department of Veterans Affairs Police.
National border patrol, security, and integrity. For example, United States Border Patrol.
Water ways and bodies and-or coastal areas. For example, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement.
Environment, parks, and-or heritage property. For example, United States Park Police.
Property, personnel, and-or postal items of a postal service. For example, United States Postal Inspection Service.
Buildings and other fixed assets. For example, Polizei beim Deutschen Bundestag.
Highways, roads, and-or traffic. For example, Florida Highway Patrol.
Customs. For example, Australian Customs Service.
Anti corruption. For example, Independent Commission Against Corruption (New South Wales).
Taxation. For example, Australian Taxation Office.
Railways, tramways, and-or rail transit systems. For example, Canadian Pacific Railway Police Service.
Vehicle safety and hazardous material transport laws and regulations, licensing, registration, insurance, etc. For example, Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement Agency.
Protection of international or domestic VIPs, protection of significant state asseets. For example, Special Protection Group.
Serious or complex fraud, commercial crime, fraud covering multiple lower level jurisdictions. For example, Serious Fraud Office (UK).
Paramilitary law enforcement, counter insurgency, armed response to civil unrest, counter terrorism, special weapons operations. For example, Central Reserve Police Force.
Diplomatic personnel and facilities. For example, Diplomatic Security Service.
Coastal patrol, marine border protection, marine search and rescue. For example, Indian Coast Guard.
See Specialist law enforcement agencies for a list of specialist agencies.
