Saffron Street Runners
From ThornsWiki
It's been traditionally run as a voluntary militia, though a few higher ranking individuals are paid by various wealthy trade families in order to keep the Runners well-trained and a visible presence on the imbali island. It's almost exclusively imbali (oshoor are not specified as unwelcome, but the general culture of the neighborhood watch members includes no small amount of pride in protection without magic).
Before the restrictions were lifted on the exiled imbali, all their police work and neighborhood protection was very clandestine. Even martial training was rather secretive. This has obviously changed in the past 200 years, but there is definitely still an air of mystery about the Runners. Their headquarters is the old watchtower of the Porthouse Gate (on the corner of Saffron Street, obviously). It is here that the day-to-day management of the port itself is managed by the more executive branch of the Runners and where various neighborhood leaders receive their orders. Each small neighborhood of the Turtle has a small outpost, often a business or a family's home, out of which that regiment of Runners operates.
Runners' terms of voluntary service last a year and a half, and all active members of the Runners can be identified by a yellow scarf. There are some who make a career of it, of course. Martial training is available to members and non-members at a price, though this training is, again, generally restricted to imbali (and occasionally humans and some oshoor).