Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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CanadaCanada Royal Canadian Mounted Police (English)
Gendarmerie royale du Canada (French)
- RCMP / GRC -
flag
State level Federal level
Position of the authority Federal Police , Civil Defense
Supervisory authority (s) Public Safety Canada
Consist since December 1, 1920
Arose from North West Mounted Police and Dominion Police
Headquarters Ottawa , Ontario , Canada
CanadaCanada 
Commissioner Brenda Lucki
Employee 29,235 + 9,878 reservists (2012)
Website www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca
" Mountie " in parade uniform
An RCMP officer in normal strip uniform

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (abbreviation RCMP , German for "royal Canadian mounted police", colloquial abbreviation " Mounties "; French Gendarmerie royale du Canada , GRC , colloquial abbreviation police montée ) is the national police of Canada , which on behalf of the provinces (except Ontario and Québec ) and territories as well as many municipalities also performs local tasks. The RCMP has around 29,235 staff. The current commissioner is Brenda Lucki. The RCMP reports to the Minister for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (Public Safety Canada).

The RCMP is famous for its parade uniform : tunic in traditional red with royal blue badges , yellow buttons and braids, dark blue breeches , riding boots and a wide-brimmed hat. The police officers wear this full dress at events such as the annual musical ride .

Not least because of numerous Hollywood films, the "Mounties" have a romantic image as polite, stoic police officers who catch every criminal (" the Mounties always get their man ").

As the Canadian Federal Police, the RCMP works with other security agencies within the country such as the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) as well as with foreign agencies.

history

North West Mounted Police officers , 1900

The forerunner of the RCMP was the North West Mounted Police (NWMP), founded on May 23, 1873 by the first Canadian Prime Minister John Macdonald , which established law and order in the then Northwest Territories (which also include the present-day provinces of Alberta , Saskatchewan and parts of Manitoba as well as the territories belonging to Yukon and Nunavut ) should bring. The red color of the uniform should on the one hand remind of Great Britain and on the other hand stand out from the blue US military uniforms . The organization of the NWMP was based on British cavalry troops (hence also mounted - "mounted").

The NWMP began its service in 1874 with the 'March West'. It was used during the Northwest Rebellion in 1885 and reaped a number of benefits for its actions. a. harsh criticism after the so-called Frog Lake massacre. North-West Mounted Police volunteers participated in the Second Boer War. In recognition of its achievements, the NWMP was renamed the Royal North-West Mounted Police in 1904 . Many of the unit's volunteers took part in the First World War. Since its inception, the NWMP has been headed by Mounted Police Commissioners, in chronological order by George Arthur French, James Macleod, Acheson Irvine, Lawrence Herchmer and Aylesworth Bowen Perry .

On February 1, 1920, the NWMP was merged with the Dominion Police , which had carried out federal police tasks in eastern Canada, renamed the RCMP and relocated the headquarters to Ottawa . Aylesworth Bowen Perry, who had been Mounted Police Commissioner since 1900, took over the office of Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The main task since that time has been to enforce federal law in all Canadian provinces and territories . On September 29, 1931, members of the RCMP opened fire on demonstrators during the Estevan riot (a coal miners' strike in Bienfait, Saskatchewan), killing three demonstrators.

From the 1920s onwards, the RCMP Security Service , a specialized political espionage and counter-espionage unit, also took on intelligence tasks. At the end of the 1970s it turned out that in this capacity he was involved in various crimes such as the theft of documents from the Parti Québécois and the arson in a barn. In response to this, the RCMP security service was spun off as the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in 1984 on the recommendation of the commission of inquiry .

Since 1974 women have also been employed by the RCMP. From December 15, 2006 to July 2007, Beverley A. Busson was the first female commissioner on a temporary basis . The first civilian to head the RCMP as of August 10, 2007 was William JS Elliott .

A museum about the history of the RCMP is located at the location of the training camp in Regina ( Saskatchewan ). There you can see the daily roll call and take part in a guided tour through the camp. This tour includes, for example, a visit to the obstacle course and one of the many teaching units on the subject of commands and marching. In addition to smaller souvenirs, the original RCMP hats are also available in the museum.

tasks

RCMP corporal in combat uniform in Vancouver

As the federal police force, the RCMP is primarily responsible for enforcing federal law across Canada. In general, law and order including the enforcement of criminal law and the corresponding provincial legislation are constitutionally within the remit of the provinces and territories. In some cases, this responsibility is transferred to municipalities (cities), which can set up their own municipal police. This is the rule in the largest cities; every city with more than 500,000 inhabitants has its own police force.

The two most populous provinces, Ontario and Québec , have their own provincial police, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Sûreté du Québec . However, the remaining eight provinces opted to transfer most or all of the provincial police functions to the RCMP. On the basis of these agreements, the RCMP performs police tasks under the supervision of the provincial governments with regard to the enforcement of provincial and local law. When Newfoundland joined the Canadian Confederation in 1949 , the Newfoundland Rangers were merged with the RCMP, so that the RCMP also took over all police duties on the island. To date, however, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has taken over some areas of the province under its jurisdiction. The RCMP is the only police agency in the three Canadian territories. In addition, many communities across Canada outsource police duties to the RCMP. As a result, the RCMP provides police services at federal, provincial and local level.

The remit of the RCMP is broad. The federal tasks include

  • enforcement of federal law including white collar crime, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, border guards, organized crime and other related matters
  • Counter-Terrorism and Domestic Security
  • Protective functions for the Queen, the Governor General, members of the government and their families, foreign guests and diplomatic missions
  • Participation in international police operations

The RCMP performs police duties in all areas outside of Ontario and Quebec that do not have their own police force. It has branches in small communities in the far north, in remote reserves the First Nations , in rural communities, but also in major cities such. B. Surrey in British Columbia with just under 400,000 inhabitants.

organization

RCMP officer on horseback
Graduation ceremony at the RCMP Academy
Mounted RCMP units at the annual Musical Ride

The RCMP has four larger main locations (RCMP Headquarters), which are spread across the provinces and are responsible for these as well as for the partially adjacent areas. These headquarters operate the divisional offices, which have 15 locations. The RCMP also has 750 local offices.

Divisions

The RCMP divides Canada into divisions for command purposes , with these units usually corresponding to a province:

Royal Canadian Mounted Police ranks

The following ranks are listed in the RCMP (English / French).

  • Commissioner / Commissaire
  • Deputy Commissioner / Sous-commissaire
  • Assistant Commissioner / Commissaire adjoint
  • Chief Superintendent / Surintendant principal
  • Superintendent / surintendant
  • Inspector / Inspecteur
  • Corps Sergeant Major / Sergent-major du corps
  • Sergeant major / sergent major
  • Staff Sergeant Major / Sergent-major d'état major
  • Staff Sergeant / Sergent d'état-major
  • Sergeant / Sergent
  • Corporal / Caporal
  • Constable / gendarme

There are also civilian personnel in the RCMP. Their share is around 13%. Civilians have scientific, technical or administrative tasks.

Vehicle fleet

Ford Crown Victoria patrol car
RCMP patrol car

The RCMP has the following fleet (as of 2010):

The fleet has a total of 8,677 vehicles. There are also airplanes for air patrols for border controls and support for officials on the ground, as well as several patrol boats that are responsible for the waters and national borders:

  • Planes: 41
  • Boats: 382

Vehicle models

Armament

International Police Pistol Competition

Every year there is a shooting competition between the Alaska State Troopers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This event takes place in late summer and is a tradition that has been maintained since 1959, when Alaska became a US state. In addition to shooting, the police officers also have to tackle an obstacle course. Inspector Joe Vachon, the then commander of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was trying to find a way to improve the collegial cohesion and cooperation between the police officers on both sides of the border.

The 50th event took place on August 21, 2010. After two years, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police managed to regain the coveted trophy.

Others

The RCMP was also known in Germany through the series Ein Mountie in Chicago and the lumberjack song . Already from 1959 to 1960 comics with Mounties adventures were published by Lehning-Verlag under the title Bill der Grenzreiter as piccolo or strip notebooks , from 1960 to 1962 as large volumes (approx. DIN A5) under the titles Bill der Rote Reiter and Sergeant Bill . From 1961 to 1962 the first television program showed 11 of 39 episodes of the Canadian-British TV series RCMP - Royal Canadian Mounted Police .

Web links

Commons : Royal Canadian Mounted Police  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ New RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki known for keeping her cool in tough times . Retrieved May 23, 2018. 
  2. ↑ a b RCMP - Corporate Facts ( Memento of December 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on December 12, 2012
  3. ↑ RCMP Organizational Structure , accessed December 12, 2012
  4. ^ The Musical Ride on the RCMP website, accessed February 1, 2020
  5. ↑ Ronald Atkin (1973): Maintain the Right: The Early History of the North West Mounted Police, 1873-1900. London, UK and Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan. ISBN 9780333122822
  6. ^ IDL Software GmbH, Darmstadt: North West Mounted Police (NWMP), Canada 1873-1920. Retrieved March 12, 2017 .
  7. ^ Government of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police: History of the RCMP | Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Retrieved March 12, 2017 (English).
  8. ↑ Royal Canadian Mounted Police Jubilee: Women in the service of the RCMP for 40 years - Fascination Canada Blog - News in and from Canada . In: Fascination Canada Blog - News in and from Canada . June 20, 2014 ( faszination-kanada.com [accessed March 12, 2017]).
  9. ↑ Virtual tour of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Panorama of Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Map of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Satellite map. Canada maps, landmarks, photos, travel, videos. panoramavon.com. Retrieved March 12, 2017 .
  10. ^ Chris Kortright: 150 Years of Resistance . In: briarpatch magazine on July 11, 2017, accessed on February 1, 2020
  11. ^ Royal Commission on Inquiry Into Certain Activities of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  12. ↑ About Depot Division ( Memento from August 30, 2019 in the Internet Archive ) on the RCMP website
  13. ↑ RCMP Land Transport ( memento of June 20, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on December 12, 2012
  14. ↑ RCMP Air Services ( Memento of January 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on December 12, 2012
  15. ↑ RCMP Marine Services ( Memento June 22, 2010 in the Internet Archive ), accessed December 12, 2012
  16. ↑ Alaska.gov - Mounties outgun Troopers. At The Shoot To Keep Trophy on Canadian Soil