Prior to the First World War, there was no unit in Canada that resembled a modern military police element. |
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North West Mounted Police![]() |
In 1885, the NWMP (North West Mounted Police), forerunners of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, fought in the North-West Rebellion at Duck Lake, Fort Pitt and Cut Knife Hill in pursuit of Big Bear. During the Second Anglo-Boer War from 1899-1902, 290 all ranks served in two mounted rifle units, namely the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles and Lord Strathcona's Horse. After being conferred the prefix "Royal" by King Edward VII (1904) the RNWMP provided a cavalry squadron in World War I, and after WWI, a RNWMP squadron served with the Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force from 1918 until 1919. |
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Canadian Military Police Corps![]() |
During the first years of the WWI, Regimental Police were the only police element in the Canadian Army. The situation was such that the 2nd Candian Division made their brigades responsible for the provision of "Trench Police" to perform traffic control duties. The Canadian Military Police Corps was formed during October, 1917 with a total of 850 all ranks. The CMPC school was formed at Ottawa, 1 June 1918, and closed ten months later on 11 March, 1919. The CMPC itself was disbanded during 1920 on 30 June. |
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Royal Canadian Mounted Police![]() |
At the outbreak of World War Two the Canadian Army was without any form of military police. On September 13, 1939, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) requested and received permission to form a Provost Company using volunteers from the RCMP. This was 1 Provost Company (RCMP), of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division, Canadian Active Service Force, and was the forerunner of the Canadian Provost Corps. |
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Canadian Provost Corps |
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In mid June, 1940, the Canadian Provost Corps ( C Pro C ) was officially born. For the most part of 1940, 1 Pro Coy was stationed in England, but was involved in the battles surrounding the fall of France (Brest, Laval, Sable and Chateaubriant). The Canadian Provost Corps Training Center operated from November 1942 to May 1946, training 1897 all ranks. During WW2 most of the Canadian Army in England was stationed at Aldershot. Canadian "MP's" were armed with .38 revolvers carried in a holster on the left hip together with a pattern 1937 web belt, brace and brace attachment in the same manner as the British CMP. |
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The corps saw action for the first time on 18 August 1942 when the Dieppe Raid took place. Of the 41 members who took part:
Shortly after the Normandy landings in June 1944, the 2nd Canadian Line of Communications (LoC) Provost HQ and six sections were deployed in Northern France on traffic control duties Before VE-Day on 8 May 1945, 1 Provost Company was also involved in North-West Europe at Apeldoorn, Holland. On 18 October 1945, 1 Provost Company was de-activated when it was repatriated to Canada. By September, 1945, the C Pro C numbered 6,120. The Canadian Provost Corps School was formed at Camp Borden in the late 1940s and by 1948 there were at least 10 Provost Companies including 5 Militia Provost Companies in the Canadian Army. |
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25 Provost Detachment headed to Korea in 1950 where it formed part of 1 Commonwealth Division Provost Company ("1 COMWEL Div Pro Coy"). It was stated in the Standing Orders of this unit that they were the only integrated unit of its kind in the Allied Forces. In 1955, the Provost Detachment was disbanded after a total of 264 Canadian MP's had served in Korea.
On 23 November, 1951, the 27th Brigade Provost Detachment was located in Hanover, Germany with NATO ( North Atlantic Treaty Organization ). In November, 1958, the 4 Canadian Infantry Brigade Group rotated into Germany, and from that point the name remained. The Provost Platoon in Germany became No 4 Provost Platoon. |
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In March of 1964, the United Nations authorized a force to serve on the island of Cyprus. Since that time, members of the Military Police served on Cyprus until Canada pulled out in 1992. On the 1st of February, 1968 the Provost Corps ceased to exist, when all branches of the Canadian military were unified into the Canadian Armed Forces |
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Canadian Security Branch |
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All police and security elements of the Canadian Forces were initially amalgamated when the Directorate of Security was formed during October 1964 at Canadian Forces Headquarters. When the functional command structure was introduced in April 1966,
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TURCOT report. In June 1966, Maj Gen Turcot was instructed to examine the role, organisation and responsibilities for security within the Canadian Forces and to make recommendations for any changes. At the time there were two philosophies within the police, intelligence and security families.
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PIQUET report. In January 1967, the Chief of Defence Staff directed the Director General Intelligence to perform a management analysis in order to make recommendations for the future management system for Intelligence, Security and Military Police in the Canadian Armed Forces. The report which was submitted in March 1967, concluded that the security/intelligence/police should be managed under a Directorate General Intelligence and Security (DGIS) in the Vice Chief of Defence Staff Branch. The Security Branch was officially created on 1 February 1968. With the C Pro C gone, Military Police platoons were integrated with the Service Battalions. It was deemed that the Service Battalions would provide all support, including MP support, to the units in the Brigade. Only in 1971 did the Regular Force MP units leave the Service Battalions to be established as independent units. During 1968 the Provost Corps School was renamed Canadian Forces School of Intelligence and Security ( CFSIS ).
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CRAVEN report. In 1978, the CRAVEN report proposed that the CF Police and Intelligence personnel comprising the unified Security Branch be reorganised into a structured Security Branch and an Intelligence Branch. Following further studies, discussions and recommendations, DGIS agreed and on 3 December 1981, the CDS directed that separate Security and Intelligence Branches be established. On 29 October 1982, a ceremony was held at the Canadian Forces School of Intelligence and Security that inaugerated the new Intelligence Branch and rededicated the Security Branch. |
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![]() ![]() On the 1st of April, 1997, the Canadian Army was restructured, allowing the Reserve Military Police Platoons to become independent units operating in support of the Brigade. |
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DICKSON report. After recommendations were made by the former Chief Justice Brian Dickson a new era was ushered into the Security Branch. Changes included
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On 1 April 1999, Canadian Forces School of Intelligence and Security (CFSIS) was "stood down".
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Today, members of the Security Branch serve on every base and station of the Canadian Forces in Canada, as well as with the various regiments and battalions. MPs continue to serve with UN forces; as part of the NATO component in Geilenkirchen, Germany, as well as in twenty-nine Military Police Security Guard Detachments at several Canadian Embassies around the world. Military Police also serve at Royal Military College Kingston, CFSRSHQ, CFSU Europe, CFNA HQ Yellowknife, SHAPE Casteau Belgium and many other Canadian Force Bases (CFB) locations. Units of the Canadian Military Police include:
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INSIGNIA OF CANADA'S MILITARY POLICE |
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Cap Badges Various cap badges have been worn |
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Royal North West Mounted Police | |||||||||||||
  | Canadian Military Police Corps Three different badges were worn by the CMPC. |
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Canadian Provost Corps |
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Security Branch The Branch badge is based on the Thunderbird - a mythical native spirit, probably derived from the eagle, whose name signifies the voice of thunder. It is one of the most common emblems of the North West Coast native tribes and is usually the crowning figure on the carved totem poles placed before a chief's house. It is believed to be a symbol of supremacy and power in the life of the tribe. The mystique surrounding this emblem varies according to the legends of the tribe concerned. A common feature of its attributes, however, concerns its role as a protecting spirit, one which gives wise counsel and guards the tribe from evil and misfortune. The face on the breast symbolizes dual transformation. The thunderbird is worn by personnel of the Security Branch as follows:
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Brassards Various brassards have been worn by members of the military police throughout Canada's military history |
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Canadian Military Police Corps 1918-20. Worn on right arm. |
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No. 1 (RCMP) C Pro C Company. 1939-1941. |
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Canadian Provost Corps 1940-56. Worn on right arm. |
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C Pro C 1957-68. Worn on right arm. |
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Security Branch MP 1969-78. Worn on left arm and on left wrist of winter jacket. |
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At the present moment Military Police from the Canadian Forces Security Branch wear a bilingual brassard on the left arm. It consists of three horizontal lines of lettering, "MILITARY POLICE MILITAIRE", the first two lines being English and the last two lines being French. The brassard is used for garrison and routine operations. For garrison duty the lettering is white on a black background. When 2 MP PL was part of the Special Service Force, they wore "MP" armbands with the SSF badge on garrison brassards and red "MP" on a navy blue square on the combat brassards. However, from time to time "MP" with white lettering on a black brassard is worn at the whim of the Commanding officer. By dress regulations "MP" armbands are only to be worn outside of Canada. |
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For NATO operations Canadian MP's use the brassard illustrated at left. |
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![]() 1978 - Present. The MP on the right is wearing the combat brassard. |
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Flags | ||||||||||||||
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The Branch flag was approved by National Defence Headquarters in June 1976 and is flown in front of all Military Police Guard Houses, by field MP units when deployed and Detention Barracks. | |||||||||||||
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The three Regular Army field Platoons (5 PPM and 1 & 2 MP PLs) display their unit numbers in the upper left corner. Reserve MP platoons are not authorized to do so but 25 MP PL has been seen to do so. | |||||||||||||
Other Badges | ||||||||||||||
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The badge illustrated at left was worn on a trial basis by Security Branch military police attached to the National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa in the middle 1980's. The badge was however not approved as it looked to civilian. A number of these badges were later made into baseball cap souvenirs that were sold from the Canadian Forces School of Intelligence and Security. | |||||||||||||
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A new shoulder patch identifier for wear with the Military Police Occupational Patrol Dress uniform, has received final approval from the Director of History and Heritage, the CF Dress Committee and the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal. The new patch will replace the black MP brassard currently worn on the uniform. Once the contracting process for the production of the patch is complete, the patch will become available in the CF Supply System. Delivery to units may occur by summer 2002. It is intended that the patch will be worn on both shoulders of the OPD shirts and jacket. |   |   | |||||||||||
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Sources Canadian Provost Corps Home Page 5 Provost Company (Unofficial) - a really great site! |
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support from Marc Inglis, an ex-Canadian MP, and Daniel Labonte is acknowledged. |