Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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Mountie at the state funeral for Lincoln Alexander

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), (French: Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC)), is the national police force of Canada. The force is also called the Mounties.

Unique organization

RCMP is unique in the world because it is a national, federal, provincial and municipal policing organization:[1]

The RCMP/GRC wording is protected under the Canadian Trade-marks Act.[5]

History

 
Northwest Mounted Policeman -- Canadian Illustrated News Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine, 13 February, 1875.

The Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP), was founded 1873. The Mounties were created to establish authority and to make accommodations with the native population in the west before settlers began to arrive.[6] The smaller Dominion Police was founded in 1868 to protect federal government buildings.

The Mounties were given the right to use the term Royal by King Edward VII in 1904. Their name was changed to the Royal Northwest Mounted Police (RNWMP).

The modern RCMP was created when the RNWMP merged with the smaller Dominion Police in 1920.

The word mounted suggests that the police ride horses. Before 1920, horses were their main method of travel. However, today the RCMP do not ride horses except at special events.

Uniform

 
RCMP with sword

The RCMP are famous for their uniform. The "Review Order" (also "Red Serge") uniform is worn mostly at special events, such as parades. The uniform consists of a red tunic with a large brown belt,(formally known as a “Sam Browne”), a light brown hat, dark blue breeches (trousers) with a yellow stripe and riding boots.

On an ordinary day at work, RCMP officers instead wear a grey shirt, dark blue trousers, ankle boots and a peaked cap (the type worn by most police officers elsewhere). In the winter they may wear a thicker coat, heavier boots and a fur cap.

Ranks

The ranks of the RCMP are, from highest to lowest:

  • Commissioner
  • Deputy Commissioner
  • Assistant Commissioner
  • Chief Superintendent
  • Superintendent
  • Inspector
  • Corps Sergeant Major*
  • Sergeant Major
  • Staff Sergeant Major
  • Staff Sergeant
  • Sergeant
  • Corporal
  • Constable
  • Cadet

Ranks marked with an asterisk (*) are only found in a few parts of the RCMP and are usually not part of the chain of command. For most staff sergeants, their superior is an inspector and not a staff sergeant major. While "Cadet" is a term used for RCMP trainees at depot it is not an official rank.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Media

References

  1. "RCMP". Archived from the original on 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  2. First Nations
  3. Inuit
  4. "Métis" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-26. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  5. "Canada Trade-marks Act". Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  6. Wolkomir, Richard. "Mounties forever, but these days rarely on horseback," Smithsonian. February 1989, pp. 81-82.

Sources

  • Wolkomir, Richard. "Mounties forever, but these days rarely on horseback," Smithsonian. February 1989, pp. 78-89.

Other websites