The Royal Anguilla Police Force (RAPF), known as the Anguilla Police Force until 1990, is the national police force of the

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...

, a British

Overseas Territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

History

The Anguilla Police Force was formed on 28 January 1972, after Anguilla separated from

Saint Christopher and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

. It received the "Royal" prefix in 1990.

Structure

The Royal Anguilla Police Force is based in

The Valley, Anguilla The Valley is the capital of Anguilla, one of its fourteen districts, and the main town on the island. , it had a population of 3,269. History Historical landmarks The Valley has few examples of colonial architecture due to the relocation of Ang ...

. From 2015, the force was led by Commissioner Paul C. Morrison, who transferred from

Sussex Police Sussex Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing in the whole of Sussex. Its jurisdiction covers the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. The force is headquartered in Malling House, Lewes, East Sussex. His ...

in England. As of January 2021, the force is being led by David Lynch. As of December 2022, the RAPF had a strength of 111 officers.

Duties

The RAPF carries out police duties, keeping law and order on the islands.

Training

Recruits to the RAPF carry out training at ''RAPF Anguilla Recruit Training Center'' which includes: *Physical Training (PT) *Drill (marching) *Motor Vehicle Collisions The recruits wear a uniform similar to RAPF constables, but they wear a baseball cap in training, until they pass the training when they get their normal headdress. This training is carried out internally by RAPF officers.

Uniform

Like most police forces, the RAPF wear a uniform when on duty and different types for different duties.

Formal uniform

The formal uniform is for ceremonial, public duties and formal occasions (such as the arrival/departure of the Governor). This consists of:

Males

*Black tunic with closed collar, silver buttons and whistle on chain *Black trousers with silver piping *Black socks and black shoes *White

pith helmet The pith helmet, also known as the safari helmet, salacot, sola topee, sun helmet, topee, and topi) is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish Empire, Spanish military adaptation of the na ...

with RAPF capbadge, chinstrap and spike in silver *White belt with central clasp Male officers with the rank of

inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

and above, wear the tunic open at the collar, with a white shirt and black tie underneath. A

Sam Browne General Sir Samuel James Browne, (3 October 1824 – 14 March 1901) was a British Indian Army cavalry officer, known best as the creator of the Sam Browne belt. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the most prestigious award for gallantry ...

belt in black is worn over the top and a

swagger stick A swagger stick is a short stick or riding crop usually carried by a uniformed person as a symbol of authority. A swagger stick is shorter than a staff or cane, and is usually made from rattan. Its use derives from the vine staff carried by Rom ...

is carried underneath the arm. Peaked caps are worn by senior officers and may replace the pith helmet for junior officers.

Females

*Black tunic with closed collar, silver buttons and whistle on chain *Black skirt with silver piping *Black socks and black shoes *White-topped bowler hats with RAPF capbadge *White belt with central clasp

Insignia

All ranks wear rank insignia on their tunics and medal ribbons are worn on the left of the tunic, with full-sized medals for parades.

Arms

When on certain parades, No.4 Lee Enfield rifles are carried by junior ranks, with senior officers carrying a police sword.

Everyday uniform

The everyday uniform is worn for when the formal or operations uniform is not suitable. It consists of:

Males

*White shirt, with silver buttons and whistle *Black trousers with silver piping *Black belt & shoes

Females

*White shirt, with silver buttons and whistle *Black skirt with silver piping and stockings *Black belt and shoes

Equipment

RAPF officers have a wide variety of equipment used for police purposes, such as: *Patrol vehicles including

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...

*Radios.

History

Structure

Duties

Training

Uniform

Formal uniform

Males

Females

Insignia

Arms

Everyday uniform

Males

Females

Equipment

References

See also