The British government's answer to finding a way to police rural areas without the help of British troops or a Palestine Defence Force was to create a new Palestinian Gendarmerie with infantry and mounted sections under the direct control of Colonel Bramley, to be funded out of the Palestinian budget, and consisting of both Arabs and Jews in the same units. The men in the mounted section had to provide their own mounts, initially horses, although later a camel unit also `came into existence.

Zionists were unhappy that Arabs were allowed to join the Gendarmerie as they wanted an all-Jewish defence force. After the decision to create a mixed Gendarmerie, they gave more support to Haganah, an underground Jewish defence force.

The new Gendarmerie, whose formation was announced on 1^st July 1921 was commanded by a British Officer, Lieutenant Colonel F W Bewsher, DSO, MC. BA, who was already serving with the Palestine Police.

Initially the force consisted of an HQ detachment based in Jerusalem, two mounted squadrons in Jenin and two infantry companies in Jerusalem and Rosh Pina. Three quarters of the Gendarmerie were Arabs, mostly from the more educated class of villager with already some idea of discipline, one eighth were Jews, many ex-members of the Royal Fusiliers and the rest were Circassians from Jordan and Druze from Galilee, who both proved to be fine recruits. The smart uniforms were purchased from India except for the headwear which were kalpaks like the rest of the police.

1922 was a year the Palestine Government spent a great deal of time re-organizing security. They appointed an overall head security to command both civil police and the remnants of British military, Major General Sir Hugh Tudor, KCB CMG. He decided the mounted sections of the Gendarmerie were best used to defend the long border that divided Palestine from Syria and Lebanon and split the two squadrons into four, stationing them at Samakh, Beisan, Rosh Pina and Metullah.