Features of competence and structure of the transport police units in the first half of the XIX century

This article is devoted to the peculiarities of the legal provisions of the transport police in the first half of the XIX century. It discusses the general and special features, as well as the organisational structure of the transport police units in the reviewed period. Special attention is paid to the specifics of the formation of the transport police, particularly on selecting candidates for the gendarme officers. The author emphasize the specific role of the transport police in the system of political investigation, determining this police formation, as an elite military-police unit and the Executive body of the third Department of His Imperial Majesty's Chancellery. The scientific article analyses peculiarities of the competence of the officials of the transport police in the escort and guarding of arrestees.