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Do they have police in the imperial hives? Or do the IG just kill you if you do something wrong?

They are called the adeptus arbites. Think of judge dredd.

http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Adeptus_Arbites

They have been mentioned a few times in Fallen Angel

Every Imperial world has the Adeptus Arbites, as mentioned, who are in command of the policing of the state.

That being said, some planets may have a local police force that does the dirty work, but is under orders from the Arbites. A lot of this is explored in Nemesis.

Every planet has a local police for standard duties. Adeptus Arbites is the interplanetary police, maybe like FBI just with lots of enforcers. Some Hives may be too wild to have any police presence though.

The Adeptus Arbites however are not normal police. They are unconcerned with minor crimes such as murder and theft. More being there to keep the Governor in line and ensure Imperial law is followed. Generally the policing will be down to local enforcers, or possibly members of a hab block who form a militia or town watch. The Arbites would only show an interest in domestic matters in very serious situations, such as a riot that might destabilize the hive. Otherwise they leave local enforcers to keep order.

Yeah, same as everyone else said.

The Adeptus Arbites are paramilitary, high-level IMPERIAL lawkeepers. They concern themselves with keeping imperial/interplanetary/adeptus law.

So, some guy killing another guy isn't their jurisdiction - but if the guy killed was a scribe, which caused a lateness in filing tax returns, or just cast the Adeptus and rule of Terra in a bad light, then they might go and burn a block or two. On important Imperial planets, the main law enforcement may be Arbites based, but only on really Adeptus-populated ones, like Hydraphur. Many planets just have a single Arbites garrison.

On most regular worlds there is a normal law enforcement agency who do the regular lawkeeping. But what they look like and do depends on the world. On Necromunda, they are called Enforcers and model themselves very closely on the Arbites, with similar armour and weapons. However, on Iesta Veracrux, they are called Reeves and shown as much more similar to a modern day plain-clothes detective...

Funnily enough I'm working on an article on Civilian Life including a section on the law.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Civilian_Life_in_Warhammer_40%2C000_AD

Basically the Imperium has layers of authority from the local thug on the corner collecting tolls to the iron fist of the Emperor himself with lots of stuff in between. What opposition or justice you face depends on who cares about your crimes, who's getting hurt.

Cities and worlds in the Imperium will be more like Baghdad than Boston, there's no one police force, just a whole lot of armed forces with varying responsibilities and interests. Even the Imperium is divided, there will be Arbites, IG, Inquisition, Sisters & Witch Hunters, and Skitarii + a hundred other organizations not worth mentioning in a war game like the Imperial Agricultural Inspection Service.

If you do piss off the wrong group reprisals will be swift, trials are either skipped or just run for show. Only the most important folks get a chance to defend themselves.

So for an up and coming hive gang the world might look like this...

Rob and kill outcasts and homeless, no one cares.
Rob and kill street vendors and shops, face the local hired guards or the mob they pay protection to.
Rob and kill workers for large organizations, face better hired guards or the city authorities.
Rob and kill caravans, warehouses and train lines, face planetary authorities and PDF
Rob and kill Imperial servants, militarily vital facilities, sacred sites, face Arbites, Imperial Guard, or even Marines or Sisters
Use Mutants and Psykers, face the Inquisition or Witch Hunters.

So killing a homeless guy for his boots might not get any reply, but littering in front of the Cathedral might get you hung in cage until you starve. Mugging a factory worker might mean his buddies come for you, but mugging an off duty guardsman could mean having Chimeras shooting up your neighborhood.

And of course each world is different. On Necromunda hive gangs walk around with heavy bolters and plasma guns, I imagine other worlds might have stricter weapon laws.

Kid_Kyoto. . . That is awesome!

The layers of authority makes a whole lot of sense, espeically considering the disconnect between individuals in a hive and the authorities that be.

I think the last point is the most important though:
Each world is different.

When I read Imperial Guard stories, I've basically gotten the picture that many worlds simply employ the PDF as a local police force. Many PDF units are hardly more effective than police as we would know them, so it usually makes sense.
It also makes sense from a cost perspective, if you'll take my meaning. What's cheaper, building a dedicated police force, or using the PDF that the planet is mandated to have in the first place?
I think 'layers' are more likely to be in place on very important forge worlds, or planets that are strategically important like Armageddon, Cadia, Ryza, etc.

Thanks for the kind words!

 Darkstar2033 wrote:



I think 'layers' are more likely to be in place on very important forge worlds, or planets that are strategically important like Armageddon, Cadia, Ryza, etc.

I have to disagree. If there's one thing people want it's to go to bed with the knowledge no one will slit their throat while sleeping. And no matter where they are they will find some system that guarantees their safety.

It might be a neighborhood watch where everyone takes shifts guarding the the area. It might be the local thugs collecting protection money and keeping other predators out of their territory. It might be the government. The form will vary by world, city and even neighborhood but they'll find something!

I didn't say that there wouldn't be protection. I just said that the complex layering of very expensive protection agencies wouldn't be in place on backwarter agriworlds and far flung outposts. It's common knowledge that the Imperium has numerous 'feral' worlds within it's dominion. I think you would be hard pressed to find "layered" security including witch hunters, arbities etc. PDF or other local forms of police would be more viable as a source of order.

Not much lore on them sadly :(

 Darkstar2033 wrote:
I didn't say that there wouldn't be protection. I just said that the complex layering of very expensive protection agencies wouldn't be in place on backwarter agriworlds and far flung outposts. It's common knowledge that the Imperium has numerous 'feral' worlds within it's dominion. I think you would be hard pressed to find "layered" security including witch hunters, arbities etc. PDF or other local forms of police would be more viable as a source of order.

Ah got it.

Yeah, most arrangements will be ad hoc and basically be local thugs, gangs, cults, or concerned citizens. Maybe in time one faction might get a warrent from the local authorities.

But uniformed police, with legal authority and the tools and training to maintain the peace and investigate crimes will be as rare as hens teeth.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:


Yeah, most arrangements will be ad hoc and basically be local thugs, gangs, cults, or concerned citizens. Maybe in time one faction might get a warrent from the local authorities.

There's something we agree on. Solid in concept and basic in practice.

But uniformed police, with legal authority and the tools and training to maintain the peace and investigate crimes will be as rare as hens teeth.

I generally concur, however I would still contend that PDF would be closest to "unifromed" police on any planet. Although in the underworlds of the biggest hives, you're probably the more correct of the two of us.

I'm genuinely happy to have discussed this. Very cool, indeed, Kid_Kyoto, very cool.

 Archon Tobias wrote:
Do they have police in the imperial hives? Or do the IG just kill you if you do something wrong?

They have police, each hive having different names for htem. Collectively they're referred to as "enforcers" as in, "local law enforcers", but it obviously also has negative connotations as well (since many Enforcers are often only a step removed from organized crime, if that much).

All I know is you don't want to cross the Imperial Agricultural Inspection Service!