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