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“Mountie” redirects here. For other uses, see Mountie (disambiguation).
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), also known as the Mounties or Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC) in French, is both the federal and national police force of Canada. As the federal police force of Canada, the RCMP is responsible for enforcing federal laws. It also has contracts with Canada's three territories and eight of its provinces to serve as their provincial/territorial police force. Most of Canada's provinces, while constitutionally responsible for law and order, prefer to sub-contract policing to the RCMP. The RCMP consequently operates under the direction of the provinces in regard to provincial and municipal law enforcement. The exceptions are Ontario, Quebec, and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador, which have retained their own provincial police forces, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Sûreté du Québec, and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, respectively. Additionally, many towns and cities throughout Canada also contract the RCMP to serve as their municipal police force. The RCMP is therefore a national police force because it enforces the criminal code (a provincial responsibility) throughout the country. With an on-strength establishment of 23,466 personnel as of April 2005, it is also the largest police force in Canada.[1]
The RCMP is descended from the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) and the Dominion Police, founded in 1873 and 1868 respectively. The NWMP was given the "Royal" title in 1904, becoming the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP). In 1920, it was renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Force when the RNWMP was merged with the Dominion Police. Among themselves, the Mounties universally refer to their organization as "The Force", and members of the force are referred to as "Members".
HistoryThe predecessor of the RCMP, the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) was created on May 23, 1873, by Sir John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, with the intent of bringing law and order to (and asserting Canadian sovereignty over) the North-West Territories (which then included modern day Alberta, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, and most of modern Manitoba). This need was particularly urgent with reports of American whisky traders, in particular those of Fort Whoop-Up, causing trouble in the region, culminating in the Cypress Hills Massacre. The force was initially to be called the North West Mounted Rifles, but that was rejected as too military in nature, Macdonald fearing that this could antagonize both the First Nations and the Americans. Acting on a suggestion in his cabinet, Macdonald had the force wear red uniforms. The force was organized like a British cavalry regiment and still maintains some of the traditions of those units, like the well known Canadian Musical Ride, to this day. Early activitiesImage:Nwmp lancer.jpg NWMP Lancer, 1875. The initial force, commanded by Colonel George Arthur French, set out from Fort Dufferin, Manitoba on July 8 1874 on a march to what is now Alberta. The group comprised of 22 officers, 287 men — called Constables and Sub-Constables — 310 horses, 67 wagons, 114 ox-carts, 18 yoke of oxen, 50 cows and 40 calves[2]. An account of the journey was recorded in diary of Henri Julien, an artist from the Canadian Illustrated News, who whisky trade and enforcing agreements with the First Nations peoples. To that end, the commanding officer of the force arranged to be sworn in as a justice of the peace, which allowed for magisterial authority in the Mounties' jurisdiction. In the early years, the force's dedication to enforcing the law on the First Nations peoples' behalf impressed them enough to encourage good relations. In the summer of 1876, Sitting Bull and thousands of Sioux were fleeing the US Military to southern Saskatchewan, and James Morrow Walsh of the NWMP was charged with maintaining control in the large Sioux settlement at Wood Mountain. Walsh and Sitting Bull became good friends, and the peace at Wood Mountain was maintained. In 1885, the NWMP helped to quell the North-West Rebellion led by Louis Riel. Klondike Gold RushImage:Nwmp 1900.jpg NWMP Officers, Yukon, 1900.
Evolution of the forceIn 1903, jurisdiction was extended to the Arctic coast; in 1905, to Alberta and Saskatchewan; in 1912, to northern Manitoba. Following World War I, the Mounties increasingly were considered an outdated institution, more appropriate to the 19th century frontier than industrializing 20th century Canada, and they were threatened with extinction. The Mounties were saved, however, by merging with the Dominion Police on February 1, 1920 and renamed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with responsibility for federal law enforcement in all provinces and territories. In addition to its expanded jurisdiction, the new RCMP set about establishing its modern role as the protectors of Canadian national security, particularly from the supposed communist threat. The RCMP assumed responsibility for national counter-intelligence. In practice, the Mounties not only took a keen interest in the Communist Party proper, but in the militant labour movement of the interwar period generally. Image:Rcmp sled dogs 1957.jpg RCMP patrolling with sled dogs, 1957. In 1919, the RNWMP was used to repress the Winnipeg General Strike, when officers fired into a crowd of strikers, killing two and causing injuries to thirty others. The scale of that strike was not repeated, but clashes between the RCMP and strikers continued, through the 1930s. Mounties killed three strikers in 1931 when striking coal miners from Bienfait, Saskatchewan demonstrated in nearby Estevan. In 1935, the RCMP, collaborating with the Regina Police Service, crushed the On-to-Ottawa Trek by sparking the Regina Riot, in which one city police officer and one protester were killed. The Trek, which had been organized to call attention to the abysmal conditions in the relief camps, therefore failed to reach Ottawa, but nevertheless had profound political reverberations. The RCMP employed special constables to assist with strikebreaking in the interwar period. For a brief period in the late 1930s, a volunteer militia group, the Legion of Frontiersmen were affiliated with the RCMP. Many members of the RCMP belonged to this organization, which was prepared to serve as an auxiliary force. In later years, special constables performed duties such as policing airports and, in certain Canadian provinces, the court houses. The RCMP also began actively enforcing Canada's new drug laws in the 1920s, and provided assistance to numerous other federal agencies, such as helping immigration officials deport immigrants and enforcing the residential school system for First Nations' children. In 1932, men and vessels of the Preventive Service, National Revenue, were absorbed, creating the RCMP Marine Section. The acquisition of the RCMP schooner St. Roch facilitated the first effective patrol of Canada's Arctic territory. It was the first vessel to navigate the Northwest Passage from west to east (1940–42), the first to navigate the Passage in one season (1944), and the first to circumnavigate North America (1950). Counter-intelligence work was moved from the RCMP's Criminal Investigation Department to a specialized intelligence branch, the RCMP Security Service, in 1939. Post-warFollowing the 1945 defection of Soviet cipher clerk, Igor Gouzenko and his revelations of espionage, the RCMP Security Service implemented measures to screen out “subversive” elements from the public sector.[3] What began as a perceived need to create a bulwark against communism had, by the 1950s, been extended to homosexuality because homosexual acts were illegal, considered a sign of “character weakness,” and because the KGB could use it to blackmail civil servants into revealing state secrets.[4] Scores of people were fired as part of this campaign, which included the development of a “fruit machine.” This machine was based on the premise that changes in pupil dilation when viewing beefcake photos of nude men would scientifically determine whether or not a test subject was gay.[5][6] After four years, the machine failed to produce results, and the program was discontinued.[7] In the late 1970s, revelations surfaced that the RCMP Security Service force had in the course of their intelligence duties engaged in crimes such as burning a barn and stealing documents from the separatist Parti Québécois, and other abuses. This led to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Certain Activities of the RCMP, better known as the "McDonald Commission", named after the presiding judge, Mr Justice David Cargill McDonald. The Commission recommended that the force's intelligences duties be removed in favour of the creation of a separate intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Modern eraImage:RCMP car in Ottawa crop.jpg An RCMP school liaison car in Ottawa. In 1993, the RCMP's counter-terrorism duties, performed by the Special Emergency Response Team (SERT), were transferred to the Canadian Forces, creating a new unit called Joint Task Force Two (JTF2). JTF2 inherited some equipment and SERT's former training base near Ottawa. The RCMP has been involved in training and logistically supporting the Haitian National Police since 1994, a controversial matter in Canada considering allegations of widespread human rights violations on the part of the HNP. Some Canadian activist groups have called for an end to the RCMP training.[8]The RCMP has also provided training overseas in Iraq and other peace-keeping missions. On March 3, 2005, four RCMP officers were shot dead during an operation to recover stolen property and investigate a possible marijuana grow-op in Rochfort Bridge, Alberta. Shooter Jim Roszko, 46, then shot and killed himself. It was the single worst multiple killing of RCMP officers since the Northwest Rebellion. One of the four Mounties killed had been on the job for only seventeen days. The victims were:
On July 7, 2006, two RCMP officers were shot and killed near Mildred, Saskatchewan. The killer, Curtis Dagenais, 41, was missing until July 18, when he turned himself in. The victims were:
In 2006, the United States Coast Guard's Ninth District and the RCMP began a program called "Shiprider", in which 12 Mounties from the RCMP detachment at Windsor and 16 Coast Guard boarding officers from stations in Michigan ride in each other's vessels. The intent is to allow for seamless enforcement of the international border. (PA1 John Masson, "Territorial Teamwork", Coast Guard Magazine 2/2006, pp. 26-27). Service in wartime
During the Second Boer War, members of the North West Mounted Police were given leaves of absence to fight with the 2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR) and Lord Strathcona's Horse. The force raised the Canadian Mounted Rifles, mostly from NWMP members, for service in South Africa. For the CMR's distinguished service there, Edward VII honoured the NWMP by changing the name to the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) on June 24, 1904.
During World War I, the Royal North West Mounted Police (RNWMP) conducted border patrols, surveillance of enemy aliens, and enforcement of national security regulations within Canada. However, RNWMP officers also served overseas. On 6 August 1914, a squadron of volunteers from the RNWMP was formed to serve with the Canadian Light Horse in France. In 1918, two more squadrons were raised, A Squadron for service in France and Flanders and B Squadron for service in Siberia
In 1939, No. 1 Provost Company (RCMP), Canadian Provost Corps, was raised for service in Europe. The unit served with distinction throughout World War II. HonoursImage:Guidon Royal Canadian Mounted Police.JPG Guidon of the RCMP Although it is a police force, the RCMP has the status of a regiment of dragoons, and as such is entitled to wear battle honours for its war service as well as carry a guidon. It was awarded this status in 1921, with its first guidon presented in 1935. As a regiment, the RCMP mounted the King's Life Guard at Horse Guards Parade in 1937 leading up to the coronation of King George VI. Battle honours
Honorary distinction
1. Presented 21 September 1957 at a Parliament Hill ceremony for contributions to the Corps during the Second World War. History of the uniformThe RCMP are famous for their distinctive Red Serge, a scarlet ceremonial uniform with a Stetson hat with a wide flat brim which is worn on special occasions, and the Musical Ride (a ceremony in which officers showcase their horse riding skills and uniform in the execution of a variety of intricate figures and cavalry drills with music). On normal duties, the RCMP uses standard police methods, equipment, and uniforms. Horses are no longer used operationally by any unit. The Red Serge tunic that identified initially the NWMP, and later the RNWMP and RCMP, is of the standard British military pattern. The NWMP was originally kitted out from militia stores, resulting initially in several different styles of tunic, although the style later became standardized. This style was used to both to emphasize the British nature of the force and to differentiate it from the blue American military uniforms. The blue shoulder epaulets were added in the 1920s after it was granted its "Royal" status from the British sovereign for its service in World War I, replacing gold-trimmed scarlet straps from the earlier uniforms. Currently, RCMP personnel under the rank of Inspector wear blue "gorget" patches on the collar, while officers from Inspector to Commissioner have solid blue collars, along with blue pointed sleeve cuffs. Image:Northwest Mounted Police re-enactors.jpg Re-enactors portraying the NWMP K Troop. Initially the NWMP wore buff trousers. Later dark blue trousers with yellow-gold strapping (stripes) were adopted. Members of the NWMP were known to exchange kit with US cavalry units along the border and it is suggested that this was the initial source for the trousers; however, blue trousers were considered early on, although with a white strap. Dark blue with yellow-gold strapping is another British cavalry tradition, and Canadian city police forces frequently wear dark blue trousers with a narrow red strap of infantry tradition. The wide flat brim Stetson hat was not adopted officially until about 1904. Although the NWMP contingent at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee wore the Stetson, it was an unofficial item of dress. The primary official headdress at the time was the white British foreign service helmet, also known as a pith helmet. This was not particularly practical as headdress in the Canadian west, and members wore a Stetson type hat on patrol and around camp. Sam Steele is often credited with introducing the Stetson-type hat, and when he left the force to command Lord Strathcona's Horse and took the regiment to South Africa he also adopted the Stetson for this unit. Black riding boots were later changed to the modern brown style. The original crossbelts were later changed to the brown Sam Browne type currently worn. The brown colour of the boots and belt worn with the Red Serge come from the individual member applying numerous coats of polish, often during their time in training at Depot Division. Sidearms are standard now, but were often not worn in the early years. The everyday uniform consists of a grey shirt with dark blue tie, dark blue trousers with gold strapping, regular patrol boots called "ankle boots", regular duty equipment, and a regular policeman's style cap. A blue "Gore-Tex" open-collar jacket is worn by Constables, Corporals, Sergeants, and Staff Sergeants while a dark blue jacket, with a white shirt in place of the grey shirt, is worn by Sergeants Major, certain Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) usually involved in aspects of recruit training or media relations, and all officers from Inspector to Commissioner. Short sleeved shirts are worn in the summer by all members with Constables and NCOs not wearing the tie, and Officers wearing the tie year round. Winter dress consists of a long-sleeved shirt and tie for all members and, depending on the climate of the detachment area, heavier boots, jackets and a fur cap are worn. In 1990, Baltej Singh Dhillon became the first Sikh officer in the RCMP to be allowed to wear a turban instead of the traditional stetson. On March 15, the federal government, not without its protestors, decided that Sikhs may wear turbans while serving as RCMP officers. Women in the RCMPOn May 23, 1974 RCMP Commissioner M.J. Nadon announced that the RCMP would begin to accept applications for female members of the force. This opened up positions that had been previously reserved for male members. Troop 17 was the first troop of 32 female regular members, who arrived at Depot in Regina on September 18 and 19, 1974 to start training. This first all female troop graduated from Depot on March 3, 1975. In 1981 the first female was promoted to corporal and the first females served on the musical ride; in 1987 the first female served in a foreign post; in 1990 the first female was appointed detachment commander; in 1992 the first female officers were commissioned and in 1998 the first female Assistant Commissioner was appointed. On December 15, 2006, Beverley (Bev) A. Busson was appointed Commissioner of the RCMP, making her the top RCMP officer on the force. OrganizationThe RCMP divides the country into divisions for command purposes. In general, each division is coterminous with a province (for example, C Division is Quebec). The province of Ontario, however, is divided into two divisions: A Division (Ottawa) and O Division (rest of the province). There is one additional division — Depot Division, which is the RCMP Academy at Regina, Saskatchewan, and the Police Dog Service Training Centre at Innisfail, Alberta. The RCMP headquarters are located in Ottawa, Ontario.
RanksThe rank system of the RCMP illustrates their origin as a paramilitary force. The insignia were based upon the Canadian army of the time, which is almost identical to that of the current British Army. Higher ranks have been increased over the years since the formation of the force, whereas the rank of inspector, which was initially a subaltern, is now a field officer level, the lower officer ranks having been dropped. With the military introducing the warrant officer, the RCMP non-commissioned officers were maintained using the older military style. The ranks of the RCMP, in English and French with their insignia, are (numbers as of February 1, 2006)[1]: Image:Superintendent Larsen RCMP.jpg Superintendent Henry Larsen in full 1959 dress.
The ranks of Inspector and higher are commissioned ranks and are appointed by the House of Commons. Depending on the dress, badges are worn on the shoulder as slip-ons, on shoulder boards, or directly on the epaulettes. The lower ranks are non-commissioned officers and the insignia continues to be based on British army patterns. Since 1990, the non-commissioned officers’ rank insignia has been embroidered on the epaulette slip-ons. Non-commissioned rank badges are worn on the right sleeve of the scarlet/blue tunic and blue jacket. The Constables wear no rank insignia. There are also Special Constables, Auxiliary Constables, and Students who wear identifying insignia. The current number in each rank is identified in the third column. Several provinces have indicated increasing the numbers. Number of others are listed below:
Civilian Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are not delegated the powers of a police officer. They are hired for their specialized scientific, technological, communications and administrative skills. Since the RCMP is a multi-faceted law enforcement organization with responsibilities for federal, provincial and municipal policing duties, it offers challenging and rewarding employment opportunities for Civilian Members as professional partners within Canada's national police force. Civilian Members represent approximately 14% of the total RCMP employee population, and are employed within RCMP establishments in most geographical areas of Canada. The following is a list of the most common categories of employment that may be available to interested and qualified individuals. From the early years of policing in northern Canada, and well into the 1950s, local aboriginal people were hired by the RCMP as special constables and were employed as guides and to source and care for sled dog teams. Many of these former special constables still reside in the North to this day and are still involved in regimental functions of the RCMP, especially with Canada's declaration that 2005 be recognized as the "Year of the Veteran". Scientific
TechnicalImage:Measuring fingerprints w compass RCMP.jpg A member of the RCMP demonstrates fingerprinting technique.
Computer Systems Development
The RCMP in popular cultureImage:RCMP.JPG A collection of R.C.M.P. souvenirs from around Canada. The Mounties have been immortalized as symbols of Canadian culture in numerous Hollywood movies and television series, which often feature the image of the Mountie as square-jawed, stoic, and polite, yet with a steely determination and physical toughness that sometimes appears superhuman. Coupled with the adage that the Mountie "always gets his man", the image projects them as fearsome, incorruptible, dogged yet gentle champions of the law. (In actual fact, the RCMP's motto is Maintiens le droit, French for "Uphold the law" The Hollywood motto derives from a comment by the Montana newspaper, the Fort Benton Record: "They fetch their man every time."[10] A famous example is the radio and television series, Sergeant Preston of the Yukon.) Dudley Do-Right (of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show) is a 1960s example of the comic aspect of the Mountie myth. The Broadway musical and Hollywood movie Rose-Marie is a 1930s example of its romantic side. Canadians also poke fun at the RCMP with Sergeant Renfrew and his faithful dog Cuddles in various sketches produced by the Royal Canadian Air Farce comedy troupe. On That 70's Show Mounties were played by SCTV alums Joe Flaherty and Dave Thomas. The British have also exploited the myth: the BBC television series Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a group of Mounties singing the chorus in The Lumberjack Song in the famous lumberjack sketch. Ren and Stimpy also parodied the Mounties in the episode Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen. Image:MountiesIqaluitCanadaDay19990701 CopyrightKaihsuTai.JPG The Mounties on parade in Iqaluit, Canada Day, 1999. More recently, the 1994–98 TV series Due South paired a Mountie (and his pet deaf wolf) with a streetwise American detective cleaning up the streets of Chicago, mainly deriving its entertainment from the perceived differences in attitude between these two countries' police forces. A pair of Mounties staffed the RCMP Detachment in the fictional town of Lynx River, Northwest Territories, in the CBC series North of 60. The series, which aired from 1992 to 1998, was about events in the native community of the town, but the Mounties featured prominently in each episode. The Mounties also briefly appeared in an episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, when after a mind taking battle between Mentok and Shado, the entire jury in the courtroom seems to have turned into Mounties. In the ABC TV Answered By Fire, there are at least three mounties featured. World Wrestling Federation wrestler Jacques Rougeau's early-90s ring character "The Mountie" wrestled in apparel reminiscent of the Red Serge. As his character was portrayed as an evil Mountie, the RCMP ultimately won an injunction preventing Rougeau from wrestling as this character in Canada, though he was not prevented from doing so outside the country. There are also products and merchandise that were made in the image of the RCMP, like Mountie statues or Mountie hats. Before 1995, the RCMP had little control over these products. The Mounted Police Foundation was set up in 1995 to handle the licensing issues to ensure only high-quality products were sold. However, as the Mounted Police Foundation did not have the expertise on licencing and marketing, they contracted these responsibilities out to Walt Disney Co. (Canada) Ltd., the Toronto-based branch of The Walt Disney Company. This had generated some controversies, as some people feared that the deal would threaten the Canadian autonomy in representing Canada [1]. The contract with Disney expired in 2000. The licencing program is now operated by the Mounted Police Foundation. HeritageA multi-million dollar RCMP Heritage Centre is scheduled to open in May 2007 in Regina, Saskatchewan at the RCMP Academy, Depot Division, to celebrate the past, present and future links that the force has with Canada. FleetAircraft inventoryAs of January 2007 the "Aerospace Source Book" (ASB) published by Aviation Week & Space Technology showed the RCMP operating a fleet of 33 aircraft (8 helicopters and 25 fixed-wing aircraft.[11] As of 1 April 2007 the RCMP had 41 aircraft (11 helicopters and 30 fixed-wing aircraft) registered with Transport Canada (TC). All aircraft are operated and maintained by the Air Services Branch. Only the Twin Otter and the Avanti are twin-engine aircraft, all the others, including the helicopters, are single engine.
See also
Provincial police forces fulfilling the duties of the RCMP in their respective provinces
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