Countries that have police forces controlled by subnational governments (states, provinces, regions, cantons, Länder, etc.) rather than a single national police service.

Countries with State or Provincial Police

• United States – Every state has its own state police, highway patrol, or equivalent agency, alongside local and federal law enforcement.
• Australia – Each state and territory has its own police force.
• Germany – Each Land (state) maintains its own police force.
• Canada – Ontario, Quebec, and several provinces maintain provincial police services, while others contract policing to the federal force.
• India – Law and order is primarily a state responsibility, and each state has its own police force.
• Brazil – Every state has Military Police and Civil Police forces.
• Mexico – States maintain their own police institutions.
• Argentina – Provinces operate their own police forces.
• Austria – While policing is largely centralized, some state-level administrative structures exist.
• Switzerland – Each canton maintains its own police force.
• Belgium – Federal and local police operate in a two-level system.
• Pakistan – Provinces have their own police organizations.
• Nigeria – Currently does not have state police, although constitutional reforms are being considered.

Countries with Regional or Autonomous Police Forces

These are not always called “state police” but perform similar functions within regions:

• Spain – Regional police forces exist in several autonomous communities.
• Italy – National policing dominates, but regional and municipal forces exist.
• United Kingdom – Separate territorial police services operate in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
• Russia – Policing is largely centralized, but regional administrations have some influence.
• United Arab Emirates – Each emirate maintains its own police force.

Countries with Strongly Centralized National Police (No State Police)

Examples include:

• France
• China
• Japan
• South Africa
• Ghana
• Kenya

African Countries with State, Provincial, or Regional Police

Among African countries, genuine state- or provincial-level police systems are relatively uncommon. The most notable examples are:

• Ethiopia – Regional states maintain police forces.
• Sudan (historically, though structures have changed during political transitions).
• South Sudan – Some subnational policing structures exist.

In practice, the largest and most established examples of state policing are found in the United States, India, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Switzerland, Canada, Pakistan, Mexico, and Argentina. These countries are often cited in debates about Nigeria’s proposed state police system because their federal structures give subnational governments significant responsibility for law enforcement.