Looking Back: RCAF 100th Anniversary (Police & Security Services)
By Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Thobo-Carlsen (Retired), CMPA Director of History & Heritage.
Pre-war and Secord World War Period
On 1 April 1924 the Royal Canadian Air Force officially came into being when the "Royal" prefix was added to the name of the fledgling Canadian Air Force. On that day the RCAF also became a permanent military service with standing equal to that of the navy and the army.
During its first 25 years the small RCAF lacked a full-time police organization, although by the mid-1930s some ‘general duties’ airmen and NCOs were being employed as service police under the general direction of station adjutants. However, these personnel generally only carried out duties that required no specialist training, like access control and general disciplinary patrolling. The Second World War and RCAF’s rapid growth changed this, and by the Fall of 1939 the air force formed a new Service Police trade and recruited several RCAF Provost Officers with civilian policing backgrounds to help lead the organization. An RCAF Provost Marshal position was formally established In October 1940.
The RCAF Provost and Security Services Branch eventually grew to around 4,000 SPs and 140 officers in Canada, and another 400 SPs and 7 officers overseas. RCAF Service Police controlled access to installations and airfields, provided internal perimeter security, conducted police patrols, carried out investigations and ran six Command Detention Barracks. In 1942 the RCAF Women's Division established a "Service Patrol" trade to help ensure discipline among of the growing number of airwomen across the country. The RCAF became the first service to employ women on police duties, beating the Canadian Women's Army Corps provosts by one month.
Post-war and Early Cold War Period
The end of the Second World War saw the RCAF's Service Police organization quickly reduced to only 5 officers and 60 men. However, in the early 1950s—overseen by the renamed Directorate of Air Force Security—it was rapidly re-expanded and adapted to police and protect an increasing number of RCAF stations and personnel in Canada and Europe as the air force grew to meet its new 'Cold War' commitments to NATO. In 1951 women re-entered the RCAF, but this time instead of being part of a separate women's division they could join as Service Police with the same training, authority, ranks and responsibilities as their male counterparts.
In the early 1960s the air force police and security organization was made responsible for the physical security of nuclear warheads being assigned to RCAF units in Canada and Europe (BOMARC surface-to-air missiles and GENIE air-to-air rockets for NORAD, and nuclear gravity bombs for CF-104 strike aircraft with NATO). During this time, a robust Sentry Dog program was introduced at the RCAF bases in Germany to help protect these highly sensitive nuclear weapon systems. By 1966 a total of 812 AFPs and RCAF Security Officers were employed in direct support of nuclear security duties.
While the RCAF existed a separate armed service, several changes were made to the trade name designating those airmen and airwoman assigned to police duties:
- Service Police (SP): 1939–1952,
- Service Patrol (SP), RCAF Women’s Division: 1942–1946.
- Security Police (SP): 1952–1955, and
- Air Force Police (AFP): 1955–1968.
Unification and the Reborn RCAF
The mid- to late-1960s was a tumultuous time for the RCAF after the government announced its intention to move toward a single unified defence force. Changes initially began with the 'integration' of certain headquarters staff and support functions like security and policing, and they culminated on 1 February 1968 when the three separate armed services were disbanded and replaced by a single new service called the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). On that date, all AFPs, army Provost's and sailors employed on service police duties became known as Military Police (MP).
From 1968 to 2011, the air component of the Canadian Armed Forces underwent a series of organizational and name changes. On 16 August 2011 the government restored its historic name when "Air Command" was formally re-designated as the Royal Canadian Air Force. However, the reborn RCAF exists as the air force within the unified CAF rather than as a separate armed service. As such, the contemporary RCAF continues to draw MP support from the CAF Military Police Branch. The Air Force Military Police Group, headquartered in Winnipeg, ensures that RCAF formations and units are are well supported by 'air minded' MPs while all policing activities remain under the full control and oversight of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal (Commander Canadian Forces Military Police Group).
Tribute to the RCAF Police and Security Organizations: 1939–1968
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The accompanying video is dedicated to the men and women who served so proudly in the various service police organizations of the pre-unification RCAF. May it also inspire those military police personnel who continue to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Produced by LCol David V. McElrea (Retd)
in collaboration with the Canadian Military Police Association |