Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Royal Newfoundland Constabulary | |
 Royal Newfoundland Constabulary area |
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| Coverage | |
|---|---|
| Area | Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Size | 405,212 km² |
| Population | 519,000 |
| Operations | |
| Formed | 1841 |
| HQ | St. John's |
| Officers | 400 |
| Regions | 6 |
| Stations | 7 |
| Chief | Joseph Browne |
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| Website | Royal Newfoundland Constabulary |
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) is the provincial police force of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It also provides policing to the cities of St. John's, Corner Brook and Labrador City.
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[edit] History
The RNC dates back to 1729, with the appointment of the first police constables. In the 19th century, the RNC was modeled 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.
In 1979, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II conferred the insignia ‘Royal’ on the Newfoundland Constabulary in recognition of its long history of service to Newfoundland and Labrador. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is one of only six police forces in the Commonwealth to receive such an honour.
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:
- North East Avalon (St. John's, Mount Pearl, and surrounding communities)
- Corner Brook
- Labrador West (Labrador City, Wabush, Churchill Falls, and the surrounding area)
