Royal Newfoundland Constabulary


The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is the provincial police service for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The primary function of the RNC is to enforce provincial laws, the Criminal Code, and provide security details for VIPs and the Premier of Newfoundland. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is also responsible for providing metropolitan police services to the northeast Avalon Peninsula ; western Newfoundland ; and western Labrador.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is one of three provincial police forces in Canada, alongside the Ontario Provincial Police and the Sûreté du Québec.

History

The RNC dates back to 1729, 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 General and Superintendent of Police until 1871, when the Newfoundland Constabulary was reorganized with a new Police Act.
Other officers recruited from the RIC 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 January 1909, John J. Sullivan became the first Newfoundland-born police chief of the RNC. He held that post until September, 1917.
During World War II, the RNC pursued spies and criminal elements in the foreign military stationed at St. John's. Their investigation into the 1942 Knights of Columbus Hostel fire has become popular knowledge.
In 1979, Queen Elizabeth II of Canada conferred the designation Royal on the Newfoundland Constabulary, 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 An Garda Síochána na hÉireann, one of the two successor forces to the old RIC. The exchange of colours was to mark the historic links between policing in Newfoundland and Ireland.

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 polices the following areas:
Operating stations include:

Fleet

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary maintains a fleet of vehicles of models from several major automakers, such as models including but not limited to the following:
Make/ModelTypeStatusOrigin
Chevrolet ImpalaGeneral police vehicle
Chevrolet Tahoe General police vehicle, Traffic Services
Chevrolet Silverado General police vehicle, Forensic Identification Section
Dodge ChargerGeneral police vehicle
Ram pickupParking Enforcement, Document Services Section
Ford Police InterceptorHighway Unit, General police vehicle, Traffic Services
Ford Expedition Supervisor Truck, Traffic Services, Special Operations
Ford F-150General police vehicle, Forensic Services Section
GMC SierraGeneral police vehicle

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 14 June 1998. 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.
ModelTypeImageOriginDetails
SIG Sauer P226handgunGermany
Colt C8 Patrol CarbineSemi-automatic rifle
Remington Model 870shotgun
Pepper sprayLachrymatory agent
Armament Systems and Procedures batoncollapsible baton
Taser X26Electroshock weapon

Mounted unit

The RNC has operated a mounted unit since 1873.
The unit was created in 2003 replacing a voluntary unit. The unit's history can be traced back to three earlier units, the Newfoundland Constabulary Mounted Force 1873-1894, New Fire Brigade Mounted Force 1895-1922 and Newfoundland Constabulary 1922-1951.
The unit has four Percheron horses:
RNC's Marine Unit dates back to the 1880s using the steam cruiser Fiona and now has 8 crew members patrolling the Newfoundland and Labrador coastline with 5 vessels, in partnership with the Canadian Coast Guard.
The current RNC Marine Unit RHIB is housed at the Rovers Search and Rescue Regional Training and Response Facility.