MP History |
During the War of 1812, Cornet* Amos McKenney, an officer of the Niagara Light Dragoons (later named the Troop of Provincial Dragoons), acted as Provost Marshal for the Militia of Upper Canada—perhaps being the first non-Imperial officer to carry out such duties in Canada. From 1812 to 1822 the British garrisons at Québec city and Halifax each had a Deputy Provost Marshal, and by the early 1860s Garrison Military Police (GMP) organizations were operating in Kingston, London, Montréal, Québec and Halifax.
After Confederation in 1867, Canadian Militia documents speak of the requirement for units to appoint Provost Sergeants, regimental police and camp police. Militia documents from the 1880s further recommended the appointment of Provost Officers to supervise camp police at large militia training concentrations—a practice that was also reported on by period newspapers.
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The first all-Canadian Garrison Military Police organization was likely that which operated from the Fortress of Halifax (the Citadel). The British turned this fortress over to the Canadian Department of Militia and Defence in 1906, and Fortress Standing Orders from 1908 show that a GMP force of one sergeant, three corporals and 13 men (all from the Permanent Force of the Canadian Militia) were operating in Halifax to help maintain good order and discipline. A district military prison—with its own superintendent, chief warder and five NCO assistant warders—was also operating at nearby Melville Island.
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CEF Routine Order No. 815 promoted the CMPC as a "corps d'elite" intended to help commanders maintain discipline. It was to be, as much as possible, composed of soldiers returning from overseas. Battalion commanders were instructed to recommend only the "very best type of man" for police duty and APMs were instructed to exercise great care in selecting men for transfer. All candidates had to serve a month-long probationary period before being formally accepted into the corps. A CMPC Training School, commanded by Major Baron Osborne, was formed in Rockcliffe (Ottawa), Ontario, and operated from June 1918 until March 1919.
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In Europe, the Corps of CMP was rapidly scaled back after the cessation of hostilities in November 1918, and by May 1919 its remaining elements were mainly located in England. By the spring of 1920, most Corps of CMP personnel had been repatriated to Canada for demobilization. An APM and MMP element were separately raised in Canada and deployed with the Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force to Vladivostok, Russia in late 1918, but the entire CSEF was redeployed back home by June 1919.
In Canada, the remaining elements of the CMPC were disbanded by mid-1920 as part of the military downsizing following the war. The last major task of the CMPC was to form and operate a large "Special Guard" force to escort many thousands of repatriating Chinese Labour Corps troops (disparagingly known at the time as "coolies") who were traveling across Canada by train, from Halifax to Vancouver Island, before boarding ships for China. The CMPC Special Guard escorted about 49,000 Chinese labour troops between September 1919 and March 1920. Thus ended Canada's first foray into large-scale military policing.
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From these auspicious beginnings, the wartime RCAF Provost and Security Services Branch eventually grew to about 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 disciplinary patrols, carried out police investigations and ran six Command Detention Barracks. In 1942, a Special Investigation Section was established to help meet the increasing demand for specialized investigative services. Also in 1942, in response to a proposal by the Provost Marshal (Wing Commander Sisley), 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 (CWAC) Provosts by one month.
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A "Security Control Headquarters" was created in 1950 with three regional units to provide the RCAF with a counter-intelligence capability. This organization was later expanded and renamed the Special Investigation Bureau (and later still the Special Investigation Unit), and became responsible for sensitive security and criminal investigations. 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. The RCAF Service Police trade was briefly redesignated Security Police from 1952 to 1955, after which time it was renamed again to Air Force Police (AFP) in 1955, New shield-style police badges were adopted in 1958 to replace armbands as the mark of authority for AFPs and RCAF Security Officers.
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During the early 1960s, the Directorate of Air Force Security and its AFPs were assigned a huge additional responsibility for the physical security of the 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 our 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 Officer were employed in direct support of nuclear security duties.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the four-fold mission of the RCAF Security Services branch--comprising the Directorate of Air Force Security, the security staffs at each command headquarters, the regional special investigation units, and the Air Force Police sections at each station--was:
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When Canada entered the Second World War the RCN began appointing Naval Provost Marshals at its larger establishments and expanded upon the pre-war system of having Regulators supervise the employment of other sailors on shore patrol duties. However, this system was found wanting as the RCN quickly grew into one of the largest navies in the world.
In early 1943, the RCN embarked on a campaign to recruit men for full-time shore patrol duties. Mature candidates between 30 and 45 years of age were desired, but those with previous civilian or military police experience and in good physical shape were accepted up to 50 years of age. Later that year the Naval Shore Patrol Service (NSPS) was instituted as a separate branch under a Director of Shore Patrol Services, who reported directly to the Chief of Naval Personnel. The RCN established a Shore Patrol Training School in Halifax under the command of Lieutenant-at-Arms Wilfred Pember (a former RPO and MAA who later become the RCN's first and only Lieutenant-Commander-at-Arms in 1952). Naval patrolmen with the NSPS carried out various functions including shore patrols, train patrols and security guard duties. However, serious criminal investigations on naval establishments were still conducted by civilian police.
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By April 1945, the RCN's Naval Shore Patrol Service was 1600-strong and its members routinely patrolled jointly with CProC and RCAF SP personnel in large centers like Halifax and Montreal. Although shore patrol duties were only open to men, the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service did employ a small number of Regulating Wrens to help ensure discipline within its ranks, and some of these women were later promoted to Wren Master-at-Arms positions.
At sea, RCN Regulators were employed on larger ships for discipline and policing, as well as a variety of quartermaster duties.
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The initial step toward integrating the military police and security elements of the three armed services took effect in October 1964 with the formation of the Directorate of Security (DSecur), within the Chief of Personnel branch, at Canadian Forces Headquarters.
By April 1966, the single-service Provost Marshals and security staffs had been eliminated and new command and base security officers were appointed at the various newly-formed functional command headquarters and renamed Canadian Forces Bases (CFBs). Additionally, the various police and security investigative organization of the three services were amalgamated into a single entity called the Special Investigation Unit (SIU).
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To achieve a common approach throughout the Canadian Forces, security and police functions were regrouped into three main categories:
A new Military Police trade was created to the replace the five related single- service trades, and new standards were adopted to guide the training required for all members employed in the police and security field.
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In June 1966, Major General Turcot was directed to examine the role, organization and responsibilities for security in the CF and make recommendations for any revisions. At the time of his study, there existed two competing philosophies within the police, intelligence and security functional areas. The Director General Intelligence (DGI) saw a distinction between the police and security areas but a closer relationship between security and intelligence. The Chief of Personnel saw the police and security functions as complimentary. The Turcot report, released on 22 July 1966, directed that responsibility for security should be placed under the DGI.
In January 1967, the CDS directed the DGI to undertake a further analysis with a view to recommending the future management system for the intelligence, security and military police enterprises in the Canadian Forces. This study, conducted by a DGI working group, resulted in the Piquet report.
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The recommendations of the Piquet report were approved by the CDS on 3 May 1967. The Security Branch informally came into effect on 1 February 1968 when the Canadian Forces Reorganization Act was signed into force (formalizing the unification of Canada's military forces). However, for several years the terminology was unsettled and the organization was variously referred to as the "Security Service" and "Security Services." The name was formalized as the Security Branch with the publication of Canadian Forces Administration Order 2-10, AL 35/71, on 27 August 1971.
Between 1968 and 1975, the fledgling Security Officer occupation went through several changes. It was originally planned to include five sub-occupations: Military Police, Investigation, Intelligence, Imagery Interpretation, and Interrogation. From 1971 and 1974, the new Security Services Basic Officer Course (qualification training for commissioned officers) consisted of 84 days devoted to police and security instruction, and only three days to Intelligence subjects. Further analysis in 1975 led to the adopting of two sub-classifications, each with their own unique qualification course:
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One of the most controversial and disliked aspects of unification was the adoption of rifle-green service dress uniforms (also known as "CF greens"), and accompanying "work dress" ensembles, for all personnel in the sea, land and air environments. From 1966 to 1973, there was much mixing of old and new uniforms and hat badges. However, throughout this period MPs on patrol and in the field were commonly identified by the white on black "MP" armband. A shield-style MP badge, based on the general shape of the old AFP badge, was later issued for wear with the service and work dress uniforms, as well as carriage in a special wallet for identification when wearing civilian clothes.
The much reviled green CF uniforms were replaced with three Distinctive Environmental Uniforms (DEUs) in 1986 to better align personnel with the sea, land and air environments. Because the Security Branch provided MP and security support across environmental lines, and since the Branch had been borne from the police organizations of all three former services, it chose to adopt all three DEUs. From 1986 onward, all Branch personnel were assigned an environmental affiliation and issued the corresponding uniform set. Notwithstanding, uniform assignment has no bearing on the training syllabus or ability of MP personnel to work in any of the three environments. The Branch is considered "Purple," so those members wearing naval DEU can serve in the field with MP Platoons, those in the army DEU uniform can police air bases, and those in the air DEU can provide MP support to the Navy.
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The Thunderbird has been the symbol of Military Police in the Canadian Armed Forces for half a century.
In 1967, with integration ongoing and the unification of the three armed services into a single service looming on the horizon, an Insignia Steering Group (ISG) was formed by the Director General of Intelligence and Security (DGIS) to recommend a new badge to replace all the corps and service insignia used by previous military policing and intelligence entities.
After studying a dozen or so proposals the ISG, chaired by Major William P. Stoker (CProC), recommended the use of the aboriginal totemic Thunderbird as the symbol for the nascent Security Branch and DGIS concurred. The symbology underlying this decision was rooted in the oral histories of the Northwest Pacific Coast First Nations.
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In choosing the Thunderbird, the fledgling Canadian Forces Security Branch would now have a symbol that:
In developing the final Thunderbird badge design for the Security Branch, staff from the Directorate of Ceremonial at National Defence Headquarters closely studied the works of two skilled artists of the Kwakiutl people: Chief Mungo Martin and Henry Hunt.
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Following recommendations made in the Dickson Report, a sweeping overhaul of the National Defence Act and Code of Service Discipline took place between 1997 and 1999 that gave new powers and responsibilities to the military police and separated the responsibilities for security and criminal investigation functions:
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In November 2007, the CFPM assumed command of the newly created Canadian Forces Military Police Group (CF MP Gp). This formation includes the CFNIS (headquartered in Ottawa, ON), the Military Police Security Service** (also headquartered in Ottawa), the Canadian Forces Service Prison and Detention Barracks (CFB Edmonton, AB), and the Canadian Forces Military Police Academy (CFB Borden, ON). In 2011 further reforms were instituted to strengthen the military justice system, which included the CFPM being given full command of all military police personnel with law enforcement responsibilities (while still allowing local commanders to assert operational control over security functions). As a result, the CF MP Gp grew to include three environmental MP formations:
** Originally called the Military Police Security Guard Unit.
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For the last 80 years, Canadian military police have been continually active throughout the world supporting Canada's military operations, including: the Second World War, Korean War, Cold War, first and second Gulf Wars, and numerous United Nations peacekeeping missions like those in Egypt, the Congo, Cyprus, the Golan Heights, and former Yugoslavia. From 2002 to 2014, they deployed in large numbers in a variety of combat support and training roles during NATO-led operations in Afghanistan and surrounding areas. Canadian military police continue to help protect 45 Canadian Embassies and High Commissions world-wide and and they routinely deploy in support of humanitarian and contingency operations around the globe.
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Today, the Canadian Forces Military Police Branch comprises approximately 2,200 Regular and Reserve personnel who serve on every military base and station in Canada and on most Canadian Armed Forces operations overseas. From its humble beginnings, the MP Branch has evolved into a modern, professional police service that is highly respected within the Canadian law enforcement community and by its international military police peers.
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Discipline by Example: 75 Years of Military Police in Canada by Lindsay Frey, Brian Kelly and Tim Utton (Editors).
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You can learn more about MP history between 1940 and 2015 with the book Discipline by Example: 75 Years of Military Police in Canada, published during our 75th Anniversary year.
Through official photographs and personal snapshots, Discipline by Example tells the stories of the men and women who have policed the Canadian military at home and abroad since the Second World War, and for whom the unofficial motto of the Military Police Branch — "Discipline by Example" — holds special significance. You can purchase your copy today through our Kit Shop or directly from the publisher, Blurb.
100% of all proceeds from the sale of all printed and electronic versions of this book will go to the Military Police Fund for Blind Children.
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