Regimental Police (RP), sometimes called Regimental Provost Staff in the United Kingdom,[1] are soldiers responsible for regimental discipline enforcement and unit custody[2][3] in the British Army, some other Commonwealth armies and some armed forces structured in the British tradition. They belong to the regiment or corps which they police instead of to the Royal Military Police or its equivalent.
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Most Army battalions and regiments and the Royal Marines Commandos[4] have an RP section, usually headed by the Regimental Provost Sergeant,[5] who operates under the authority of the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). They are normally responsible for the maintenance of good order and military discipline, with more serious offences being passed to the specialists of the Royal Military Police.
Members of a regiment's Provost Section can be identified by the brassards they wear, which carry the letters "RP".[6] Unlike Service Police, RPs carry no warrant card; They have arrest powers similar to that of citizen's arrest. They are not police officers.
The roles of the Regimental Policemen in the Singapore Armed Forces are similar, in that they too enforce discipline and are responsible for the security of the base they are assigned to. RPs are usually Full-time National Servicemen, and are be broadly divided into two different groups.
Army Regimental Policemen are called Security Troopers (ST) and usually work office-hours (8am-5pm). The responsibility of night security is usually assigned to the unit's guard duty personnel, although a Duty ST may stay on in a supervisory role. Depending on the individual soldier's medical and combat rating, an Army RP may be allowed to guard the gate with rifle and live ammunition, or with just a baton and shield. ST training takes six weeks and formerly, it was held at the Military Police Training School (MPTS) & 2 PDF Training Centre, but now, it is held at the 8th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment.
Air Force and Navy RPs are called Field Defence Troopers in the Air Force, and Sea Soldiers in the Navy; and are organized at the squadron level. In contrast to Army Regimental Policemen, Field Defence Squadron (FDS) troopers have much higher appointments and responsibilities. Trainees undertake the twelve weeks Field Defence Course (FDC), which includes rigorous physical and mental training, as well as teaching advanced security and fighting techniques. They are trained in small arms, less-lethal weaponry and crew-served weapons. In the final theory exam in FDC, trainees must pass the Military Security Knowledge Exam (MSKE) in order to pass out. FD Squadrons are organized at the battalion level during wartime, and normally field reinforced company-sized units. Unlike their Army counterparts, Air Force and Navy RPs are stationed at their base 24/7.
In both cases, military installations are normally assisted by Military Policemen seconded from the Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command, who have greater powers of arrest and detention. These MPs operate in a manner dependent on the local base security, carrying out normal duties within the unit according to their rank, or deployed solely to perform access control into the base at key entry points. Members of the Regimental police are always dressed in battle fatigues when on official duty and Field Defence Troopers wear a camouflaged brassard, with the letters "RP" in red.
Most units at battalion level have a small Regimental Police detachment. In the Belgian forces, duties tend to be limited to providing access control and ensuring general base security during normal working hours, with special security teams taking over out of hours. Belgian Regimental Police belong to the unit they police and wear a black brassard bearing the red letters 'RP' on the left upper arm together with a white webbing belt.