The 1st Military Police Brigade (1 MP Bde) is a policing formation of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, which is the only one-star command of the Royal Military Police. The brigade was formed in 2014, but due to be reduced to a Colonel's command in 2022 and re-structure by 2023.

History

Army 2020

Prior to December 2014, the military police regiments of the

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operation ...

(RMP) were part of their respective commands: 1st Regiment under 1st (UK) Armoured Division; 2nd Regiment under Headquarters Northern Ireland (reformed in 2006, unknown history after 2007); 3rd Regiment under 3rd (UK) Mechanised Division; 4th Regiment under 101st Logistic Brigade; and 5th Regiment under 102nd Logistic Brigade. However, under the Army 2020 programme announced in 2013, following the Strategic Defence and Security Review of 2010, the Royal Military Police was rationalised and completely reorganised, among other things. Under this reform, the 2nd and 5th Regiments were to disband and their companies either disbanded or transferred to the three remaining regiments (1st, 3rd, and 4th). These three regiments would become 'hybrid' and 'integrated' police units, each with two regular provost companies and one territorial (reserve from 2015) company. In addition, the new Special Operations Unit, RMP which stood up in 2014.Transforming the British Army, p. 13 On formation on 1 December 2014, the brigade was organised as follows:Transforming the British Army, p. 13 * Brigade Headquarters, at

Marlborough Lines Marlborough Lines is a British Army installation on the former site of RAF Andover in Hampshire, England. History Marlborough Lines was built on part of a former airfield on the western outskirts of the town of Andover Andover may refer to: P ...

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

1st Regiment, Royal Military Police The 1st Regiment, Royal Military Police (1 RMP) is a military policing unit of the British Army which was formed during the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, but disbanded in 1985 following cuts to the RMP in the region. Th ...

, at Gaza Barracks, Catterick Garrison ** 110 Provost Company, at

Leuchars Station Leuchars Station is a British Army installation located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the historic town of St Andrews. Formerly RAF Leuchars, it was the second most northerly air defence station in the United King ...

** 150 Provost Company ** ''243 Provost Company'' (Army Reserve), in

Livingston Livingston may refer to: Businesses * Livingston Energy Flight, an Italian airline (2003–2010) * Livingston Compagnia Aerea, an Italian airline (2011–2014), also known as Livingston Airline * Livingston International, a North American custom ...

*** ''252 Platoon'', in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is on the northern banks of the River Tees, part of the Teesside built-up area. The town had an estimated ...

* 3rd Regiment, Royal Military Police, at Wing Barracks, Bulford Camp ** 158 Provost Company, at Kiwi Barracks, Bulford Camp ** 174 Provost Company, at Parsons Barracks, Donnington ** ''116 Provost Company'' (Army Reserve), in

Cannock Cannock () is a town in the Cannock Chase district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It had a population of 29,018. Cannock is not far from the nearby towns of Walsall, Burntwood, Stafford and Telford. The cities of Lichfield and Wolverh ...

*** ''Detachment'', in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

4th Regiment, Royal Military Police Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * Fourth (album), ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * The Fourth (1972 film) ...

, at Provost Barracks, Aldershot Garrison ** 160 Provost Company ** 156 Provost Company, at Goojerat Barracks, Colchester Garrison – ''supporting 16th Air Assault Bde'' ** ''253 (London) Provost Company'' (Army Reserve), in

Tulse Hill Tulse Hill is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London that sits on Brockwell Park. It is approximately five miles from Charing Cross and is bordered by Brixton, Dulwich, Herne Hill, Streatham and West Norwood. History The ar ...

Special Investigation Branch Regiment Special Investigation Branch (SIB) was the name given to the detective branches of all three British military police arms: the Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and Royal Air Force Police. It was most closely associated with the Royal Mi ...

, Royal Military Police, at Ward Barracks, Bulford Camp ** No. 1 Investigation Company, at Imphal Barracks, York ** No. 2 Investigation Company, at Parsons Barracks, Donnington ** No. 3 Investigation Company *** 37 Investigations Section, at Parsons Barracks, Donnington ** No. 4 Investigation (Special Crimes Team) Company ** ''83 Investigations Section'' (Army Reserve), at Bulford Camp ** ''84 Investigations Section'' (Army Reserve), at Bulford Camp ** ''85 Investigations Section'' (Army Reserve), at Bulford Camp *

Special Operations Regiment, Royal Military Police Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

, at Longmoor Army Camp – ''later moved to

Southwick Park Southwick Priory or Our Lady at Southwick () was a priory of Augustinian canons founded in Portchester Castle on Portsmouth Harbour and later transferred north to Southwick, Hampshire, England. It ceased at the Dissolution of the Monasterie ...

'' ** Service Police Crime Bureau **

Royal Military Police Close Protection Unit The Royal Military Police Close Protection Unit (RMP CPU) is a unit within the British Army's Royal Military Police (RMP) that has designated responsibility for protecting senior military and government personnel when deployed overseas. The unit i ...

Military Provost Staff Corps The Military Provost Staff are the Army's specialists in custody and detention, providing advice inspection and surety within custodial establishments. The MPS form part of the Adjutant General's Corps and are based at the Military Corrective Tr ...

, at Colchester Garrison ** ''No. 1 Company, Military Provost Staff'' (Army Reserve) **

Military Corrective Training Centre Colchester Garrison is a major garrison located in Colchester in the county of Essex, Eastern England. It has been an important military base since the Roman era. The first permanent military garrison in Colchester was established by Legio XX V ...

, Colchester Garrison From 2014 until the 2019

Field Army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...

reorganisation, the brigade formed part of

Force Troops Command Force Troops Command was a combat support and combat service support command of the British Army. Its headquarters was at Upavon, Wiltshire. It was formed in 2013 as a re-designation of the previous Headquarters Theatre Troops. Force Troops Comma ...

, with the 1st Regiment supporting the 1st UK Division and northern UK operations; 3rd Regiment supporting 3rd UK Division and overseas operations; and 4th Regiment supporting Force Troops command and southern UK operations. Rather unusually the brigade, unlike the other formations of Force Troops Command, only remained under the command for administrative purposes. Because of the Royal Military Police's special role, the brigade retained investigative independence from the chain of command, thus being part of Army Headquarters operationally. On 1 December 2014, the brigade headquarters was established with the

Provost Marshal (Army) Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...

taking control at Marlborough Lines in Andover,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

known as the 1st Military Police Brigade.

Army 2020 Refine

In 2017, a supplement to the Army 2020 programme was announced entitled the

Army 2020 Refine Army 2020 Refine was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. Army 2020 Refine The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 announced that the structure of the Reac ...

which reversed many of the unit-level changes of the former. Under the 'Refine', the 4th Regiment RMP was disbanded in late 2019 and its companies dispersed to the other two remaining regiments The brigade's structure by 2021 was now as follows: * 1st Regiment, Royal Military Police, at Gaza Barracks, Catterick Garrison ** 110 Provost Company, at Leuchars Station ** 150 Provost Company ** 174 Provost Company, at Parsons Barracks, Donnington ** ''116 Provost Company'' (Army Reserve), in Cannock *** ''Platoon'', in Gorton, Manchester ** ''243 Provost Company'' (Army Reserve), in Livingston *** ''252 Platoon'', in Stockton-on-Tees * 3rd Regiment, Royal Military Police, at Wing Barracks, Bulford Camp ** 158 Provost Company, at Kiwi Barracks, Bulford Camp ** 156 Provost Company, at Goojerat Barracks, Colchester Garrison – ''supporting 16th Air Assault Bde'' ** 160 Provost Company, at Provost Barracks, Aldershot Garrison ** ''253 (London) Provost Company'' (Army Reserve), in

* Special Investigation Branch Regiment, Royal Military Police, at Ward Barracks, Bulford Camp ** No. 1 Investigation Company, at Imphal Barracks, York ** No. 2 Investigation Company, at Parsons Barracks, Donnington ** No. 3 Investigation Company *** 37 Investigations Section, at Parsons Barracks, Donnington ** No. 4 Investigation (Special Crimes Team) Company ** ''83 Investigations Section'' (Army Reserve), at Bulford Camp ** ''84 Investigations Section'' (Army Reserve), at Bulford Camp ** ''85 Investigations Section'' (Army Reserve), at Bulford Camp * Special Operations Regiment, Royal Military Police, at Longmoor Army Camp – ''later moved to Southwick Park'' ** Service Police Crime Bureau ** Royal Military Police Close Protection Unit * Military Provost Staff Corps, at Colchester Garrison ** ''No. 1 Company, Military Provost Staff'' (Army Reserve) ** Military Corrective Training Centre, Colchester Garrison In 2019, under the 2019 Field Army reorganisation, the entirety of the army's forces were reorganised. With this reorganisation, the 1st and 3rd Regiments RMP were moved to

101st Logistic Brigade 101st Logistic Brigade (101 Log Bde) is a logistic brigade within 3rd (United Kingdom) Division of the British Army, formed from the Combat Service Support Group in 1999. The brigade is held in high readiness and is described as a "vanguard suppo ...

, which was later reverted, and the brigade moved to Regional Command, which was also later reverted. By 2021, the brigade was re-organised into its pre-2019 structure, and the brigade moved under the administrative command of the

1st (United Kingdom) Division The 1st (United Kingdom) Division, formerly known as the 1st (United Kingdom) Armoured Division and the 1st Division, is a division of the British Army. Divisional history (1809–1959) The 1st Division was formed following the disbandment of ...

Future

In November 2021, the Future Soldier changes were announced which would radically transform the British Army. Alongside many brigade reductions, the 1st Military Police Brigade will be reduced to a Colonel's command as the 1st Royal Military Police Group. Rather unusually, according to the British Amy's 'Future Soldier Guide', the Provost Marshal (Army) will continue to command the brigade, though this post is a 1-star brigadier, not a Colonel. The brigade will see some small internal changes with its regiments restructuring by March 2025. The brigade is due to remain under Army Headquarters for the foreseeable future.

Commanders

Commanders of the brigade have all been

Provost Marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...

s and held the title of Provost Marshal (Army) & Commander, 1st Military Police Brigade.

Footnotes

References

* {{Current British brigades Brigades of the British Army Military units and formations established in 2014 2014 establishments in the United Kingdom Royal Military Police Military police units and formations