The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Today

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has become a symbol of Canada to the world and a point of pride for a nation. Its no wonder they are looked upon that way since they represent Canadian ideals of peace, justice, and fairness. The world has come to know the Mounties through their rich history and through the stories told in film and radio. However, the RCMP are more than symbols and representatives for a nation; they are a living organization with an important mission.

The Mission of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

�The RCMP is Canada�s national police service. Proud of our traditions and confident in meeting future challenges, we commit to preserve the peace, uphold the law and provide quality service in partnership with our communities.�

The RCMP is unique in the world, since it is a federal, provincial, and municipal policing body. In eight of Canada�s ten provinces and its three territories the RCMP provides policing services at all levels of jurisdiction (federal, provincial, & municipal). While in the remaining two provinces, of Ontario and Quebec, the RCMP provides policing services at the federal level. The force is organized into four regions (Pacific, Northwestern, Central, and Atlantic) and further subdivided into fifteen divisions plus RCMP Headquarters in Ottawa. In 2000, there were about twenty thousand members of the RCMP (including civilian members & public servants). The RCMP plans to graduate an average of 1000 new members per year, for the next five to seven years, from their training academy located in Regina Saskatchewan.

Most Canadians have contact with the RCMP through their community detachment which are usually located in a larger town or village in the area they serve. The RCMP practice community based policing by being involved in the community through their sponsorship of crime prevention programs and victim services. Members of each detachment are also encouraged to participate fully in the community through service clubs, sports activities, etc. Knowledge of the community is important because a member of a detachment will have to perform a full range of policing duties from traffic enforcement to investigating major crimes like murder.
Although the majority of policing services that the RCMP perform is through the detachments, the RCMP have specialized support units with specialized members. Some of the support available to the detachments include: the RCMP Forensic Lab, identification specialists, explosive technicians, computer and counterfeit crime specialists, dog handlers, air services, emergency response teams, etc.

The RCMP is truly a modern police force that is capable of handling local, provincial, national, and international policing needs. Through detachments and specialized units the RCMP are able to handle the policing needs of our communities and our nation.
The RCMP also cooperates with other agencies including the FBI in the United States and with Interpol, to track down criminals and terrorists who may threaten Canada or other nations. More recently, the RCMP has been a part of keeping the peace throughout the world. Since 1989, the RCMP have been regular contributors to Canadian Peacekeeping contingents, and have participated in places like Yugoslavia, Haiti, and Rwanda to restore policing in these countries by training and monitoring local police forces.

Sources - RCMP Fact Sheets 2000/2001 available at www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca ; Boldly Canadian by Joan Hamilton-Barry

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