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The Praetorians as the main military force in Rome were required to carry out a wide range of duties. Despite the sophistication of the Roman state, it had no police force or many of the other organizations that modern society takes for granted. The Imperial Body Guard played a crucial role in the policing of Rome. The city was a vast and diverse metropolis, and much of it was lawless and ruled by gangs. The Praetorian Guards were often the only force that was able to police the city. They did this was a great effect, and they helped to ensure stability in the sprawling city on the Tiber. Marcus Aurelius, for example, used cohorts of the Guards to police the city, during his many long absences on campaigns against Germanic tribes. They also appear to have been used for crowd control during the Games. Many Emperors appeared to have used the Imperial Bodyguard as a secret police force. There are accounts of guardsmen being employed to spy on real and imagined conspirators, and they appear to have been used to intimidate those who threatened the position of an Emperor.
The Praetorians appear to have been used not only to guard the Emperor but also maintained their authority in the capital.<ref> Bingham, p 117</ref>. There are claims that the guards would often secretly assassinate those who were believed to be a threat to the Emperor. It seems that the Imperial Guardsmen were flexible and used in emergencies. The elite unit was often used as firefighters, alongside the urban militia. For example, Praetorian Guards fought a fire that threatened the Temple of Vesta in the great conflagration that engulfed the city on the Tiber, during the reign of Nero . <ref> Tacitus, xi x</ref>.
====Praetorian Guards in the Provinces====