Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
| Royal Newfoundland Constabulary | |
| Abbreviation | RNC |
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| Shoulder flash of the RNC | |
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| Badge of the RNC | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1841 |
| Preceding agency | Newfoundland Constabulary (1729) |
| Employees | 400 |
| Annual budget | $40,568,300 (2008) |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
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| Map of Royal Newfoundland Constabulary's jurisdiction. | |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | 1 Fort Townshend, St. John's |
| Agency executive | Robert Johnston, Chief |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 7 |
| Website | |
| www.rnc.gov.nl.ca | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) is a police force in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It provides policing to the communities of St. John's and the Northeast Avalon Peninsula, Corner Brook, Churchill Falls, and Labrador City.
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[edit] History
The RNC dates back to 1729,[1] with the appointment of the first police constables. In the 19th century, the RNC was modelled after the Royal Irish Constabulary with the secondment in 1844 of Timothy Mitchell of the Royal Irish Constabulary to be Inspector General, making it the oldest civil police force in North America. Mitchell served as inspector and superintendent of police until 1871, when the Newfoundland Constabulary was reorganized with a new Police Act.
Other officers recruited from the Royal Irish Constabulary to take command of the Newfoundland force included Thomas J. Foley who served from 1871 to 1873, Paul Carty, who headed the RNC from 1873–1895, and John Roche McGowen, who served as constabulary inspector general from 1895-1908.
During World War II, the RNC pursued not only spies but also criminal elements within the foreign military stationed at St. John's.[2] Their investigation into the 1942 Knights of Columbus Hostel fire has become popular knowledge.
In 1979, Queen Elizabeth II conferred the designation Royal on the Newfoundland Constabulary,[3] in recognition of its long history of service to Newfoundland and Labrador.
On May 3, 2005, the RNC made a formal exchange of colours with Garda Síochána na hÉireann to mark the historic links between the two forces.
[edit] Operations
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary serves alongside the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which is contracted by the provincial government to provide provincial and community policing services. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary services mainly major metropolitan areas while the RCMP serves smaller and remote rural areas.
The RNC currently polices the following areas:
- St. John's Metropolitan Area (St. John's, Mount Pearl, and surrounding communities)
- Corner Brook
- Labrador West (Labrador City, Wabush, Churchill Falls, and the surrounding area)
[edit] Ranks
- Chief of Police
- Deputy Chief of Police
- Superintendent
- Inspector
- Staff Sergeant
- Sergeant
- Acting Sergeant
- Constable
[edit] Fleet
Over the years, the Constabulary has used many different vehicles such as [2]:
- Chrysler PT Cruiser - Community Policing
- Dodge Charger
- Dodge Intrepid
- Chevrolet Impala
- Chevrolet Lumina
- Chevrolet Silverado
- Chevrolet Suburban
- Chevrolet Van
- Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
- Ford E-Series
- Ford Expedition
- Ford Explorer
- Ford F-Series
- Ford Taurus
- Jeep Cherokee[disambiguation needed
] - Toyota Tundra - Mounted Unit only
- Toyota Echo - Community Policing
- Hyundai Elantra - Community Policing
[edit] Firearms
As a result of the recommendations of the Select Committee on the Arming Policy of the RNC, members on operational duty were permitted to wear sidearms starting June 14th, 1998.[4] Previously, members were required to keep all firearms secured in the trunk of the police cruiser and were only deployed with permission from the Chief.
Weapons:
- Handgun - Sig Sauer P226
- Rifle
- Shotgun
- Taser
Following the death of Robert Dziekański at Vancouver International Airport, British Columbia in 2007, the use of Tasers within the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary has been halted.[5]
[edit] Mounted Unit
The RNC has operated a mounted unit since 1873.[6]
The unit was created in 2003 replacing a voluntary unit. The unit's history can be traced back to three earlier units (Newfoundland Constabulary Mounted Force 1873-1894, New Fire Brigade Mounted Force 1895-1922 and Newfoundland Constabulary 1922-1951) of the
The current unit has 4 horses and 4 riders and all the horses are Percheron:
- Vince
- Townshend
- Fraize
- Dobbin
[edit] See also
- Integrated Security Unit
- List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
- Monarchy of Canada
- Newfoundland Rangers
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
[edit] References
- ^ [1]
- ^ Browne, Gary (2009). To Serve and Protect: The Newfoundland Constabulary on the Home Front World War Two. ISBN 0978343492.
- ^ "List of civilian organizations with the prefix "Royal"". Canadian Heritage. http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/prefix-eng.cfm. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
- ^ "Annual Report of the Auditor General 2001". http://www.ag.gov.nl.ca/ag/annualReports/2001AnnualReport/RNC.pdf.
- ^ "Newfoundland Constabulary halts Taser use". CBC News. 2007-11-15. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2007/11/15/rnc-taser.html. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ^ http://www.rnc.gov.nl.ca/mounted_unit/history.html
[edit] External links
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