The Royal Navy Police (RNP) is the
service police
In the United Kingdom, the term military police refers to the three branches of the service police. Often, the term 'military police' is considered synonymous with the Army's Royal Military Police, but in fact, has a wider context. There are a nu ...
branch of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
and
Royal Marines
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
. Members of the RNP enforce service law and discipline.
The Royal Navy Police was known as the Royal Navy Regulating Branch until 2007, when the service was renamed the Royal Navy Police in a change brought about by the Armed Forces Act 2006. Members were known as "Regulators" until 2009, since then they have been known as Royal Navy Police.
The RNP subsumed the
Royal Marines Police
The Royal Marines Police (RMP) is the Royal Marines element of the Royal Navy Police, a UK Service Police force. Members of the RM Police enforce service law and discipline.
Duties and responsibilities
The RM Police is responsible for provid ...
in 2009, although for operational purposes the majority of the two cadres of personnel are employed within their respective areas of the service. The RNP provides a
Troop
A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...
strength unit of Royal Marines to 3 Commando Brigade to provide policing services as part of the UK Landing force.
The motto of the RNP is ''Ne Cede Malis'' which translates from Latin into English as 'Do not yield to adversity' or 'Do not give in to evil'.
The RNP is the smallest of all police branches in the three services, with its provost marshal holding the rank of commander.
History
The Royal Navy has always, in one way or another, had the need to maintain order and discipline. When at sea, historically, the
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
was the king's representative, his rule was kept by the first lieutenant, who was assisted by a person known as ''thee Ship's Marshal'', who was supported by a number of ship's corporals. Ship's marshals were abolished and replaced by the
Master At Arms
A Master-at-Arms (US: MA; UK & some Commonwealth: MAA) may be a naval rating, responsible for law enforcement, regulating duties, security, anti-terrorism/force protection (AT/FP) for/of a country's navy; an army officer responsible for physical ...
(MAA) rate, which was introduced in about 1699, a tradition that continues right up to the present day.
On punishment day, ''at six bells in the forenoon watch'', the order was given,''"All hands to witness punishment"''. The master at arms presented the offender to the captain, who questioned him about the offence and then delivered a verdict. The officer of the offender's division was asked if he had anything to say in mitigation. If their reply did not satisfy the captain, he ordered the man's punishment. Other than the actual act of flogging; the MAA was responsible for ensuring that any punishment awarded was carried out. The MAA was also accountable to the Lieutenant at arms for the duties of the ship's corporals, the supervision of sentries, the guard, and training the ship's company in the use of small arms. Another duty that the MAA performed was, at around 9 pm, to patrol the ship and check that all lanterns and fires were out, and that no men were intoxicated. Probably an early form of evening rounds.
In September 1944,
the Admiralty
The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...
concluded that the organisation for the maintenance of discipline on shore in the main naval port areas was unsatisfactory.
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
D.H.C. Shepherd,
R.M., previously the Naval Provost Marshal in
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, carried out a study into the requirement for a naval provost organisation. He reported that the system of landing ships' patrols in major naval base areas was unsatisfactory because the petty officers and leading ratings in charge, (however well briefed) lacked the knowledge and experience to deal with incidents, and being unable to render lucid written reports, avoided taking action wherever possible. The men detailed for patrol disliked the duty intensely believing it to be a form of punishment.
The Shepherd report recommended the introduction of a Leading Patrolman rating to become the junior member of the Regulation Branch and borne primarily for provost duties, and the creation of a provost organisation to operate within the major naval port areas. Admiralty Fleet Order 6681/44 of 21 December 1944 implemented the proposals of the Shepherd report.
As a result of the Shepherd report, regulating branch training, which hitherto had been carried out in the barracks of the main ports, was centralised. In 1945, a Royal Navy Regulating School was established at Beechwood Camp in Devon to train all regulating ratings and to maintain branch records. In 1946, the school moved to Fort Wallington near Portsmouth, then in 1947 to in Essex, then in 1948 to , where it remained until November 2005. Initially, the role of the leading patrolman was to augment naval patrols on shore, and assist in regulating duties as necessary. In 1968 leading patrolmen were renamed leading regulators.
In 2007 the Royal Navy Regulating Branch was renamed the Royal Navy Police in a change brought about by the Armed Forces Act 2006.
Role
![MOD Police HG52XLW](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/MOD_Police_HG52XLW.jpg)
The work of the RNP encompasses dealing with routine disciplinary matters, investigation of crime, crime prevention, and advice to the command on general security and
close protection
A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, ...
matters. As such, members of the RNP are employed in both uniformed and plainclothes roles, on ships, within shore establishments and in
3 Commando Brigade
3 Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde), previously called the 3rd Special Service Brigade, is a commando formation of the British Armed Forces. It is composed of the Royal Marine Commandos, alongside commando qualified sailors, soldiers and airmen f ...
and other Royal Marine units.
Individuals posted on ships and within shore establishments are responsible, through their
chain of command
A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part.
Milit ...
for:
* Maintenance of good order and discipline
* Investigating breaches of service discipline
* Investigation of crime
* Evidence gathering
* Crime reduction initiatives
* Liaison with
territorial police forces A territorial police force is a police service that is responsible for an area defined by sub-national boundaries, distinguished from other police services which deal with the entire country or a type of crime. In countries organized as federations, ...
and
special police forces
Special police usually describes a police force or unit within a police force whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or from other police in the same force, although there is no consiste ...
in the UK
Although members of the RNP are not warranted
constables
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
, the force as a whole is subject to inspection by
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), formerly Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), has statutory responsibility for the inspection of the police forces of England and Wales, and since ...
, in the same way as the UK's civilian police forces.
Jurisdiction
Over service personnel
The RNP have jurisdiction over members of the Royal Navy subject to service discipline, as well as having reciprocal powers to deal with service personnel of the other two branches of the Armed Forces: 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 ...
and The
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
.
Over civilians
The RNP have jurisdiction over some civilians in certain circumstances, as defined by the Armed Forces Act 2006.
The RNP have been granted maritime law enforcement powers within English and Welsh territorial waters under the Police and Crime Act 2017
by virtue of a statutory instrument, which came into effect on 7 January 2021.
These powers include power to stop, board, divert and detain vessels, the power to search vessels and persons and the power to arrest persons in England and Wales waters. The powers can only be exercised in Scotland waters where there has been a hot pursuit. The authority of the Secretary of State is required before a law enforcement officer boards a United
Kingdom ship in foreign waters and such authority may only be exercised if the State, or the relevant territory, in whose waters the powers would be exercised consents to the exercise of the powers.
The policy context is that contingency work for the end of the EU Transition Period identified that there may be an operational requirement to extend law enforcement powers to Royal Navy Police, which were granted with the caveats that the powers would only be used where police permission was granted, that no law enforcement activity will be undertaken independently and that the arrangements will be reviewed every six months.
This is one of the only known examples where the armed forces (albeit, a specific branch) have powers of arrest over civilians whilst within the territory of the UK.
Organisation
![Royal Navy Police Vauxhall Vivaro HV14 FCL](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Royal_Navy_Police_Vauxhall_Vivaro_HV14_FCL.jpg)
The Royal Navy Police is headed by the provost marshal (naval) (PM(N)), based at ''HMS Excellent'', Portsmouth, who is responsible for the management of the service, and the assurance of professional standards delivered by the RNP in the course of their duties.
Each RNP Regional Headquarters is led by a Naval Provost Marshal at
Lieutenant commander rank.
* Headquarters, Royal Navy Police (RNP), at ,
HMNB Portsmouth
His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is lo ...
** Provost Marshal of the Royal Navy Police (PM(N)),
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore ...
** RNP Regional Headquarters (East), at
HMNB Portsmouth
His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is lo ...
** RNP Regional Headquarters (West), at
HMNB Devonport
His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roy ...
** RNP Regional Headquarters (North), at
HMNB Clyde
His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...
** Royal Naval Police Special Investigation Branch
*** RNP
Special Investigation Branch
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 M ...
Office, at HMNB Portsmouth
*** RNP Special Investigation Branch Office, at HMNB Devonport
Recruiting and training
Historically, the Royal Navy Police recruited internally, however from 2018 it has been possible to apply directly as a civilian. In addition to the standard recruitment process, Candidates undertake a suitability assessment during the Royal Navy Acquaint Centre stage of application. On completion of training, candidates are rated as leading hand, or corporal.
Further professional training is delivered at MOD Southwick Park, or through
territorial police forces A territorial police force is a police service that is responsible for an area defined by sub-national boundaries, distinguished from other police services which deal with the entire country or a type of crime. In countries organized as federations, ...
, and is required for later advancement to
petty officer
A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be superior ...
or
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
,
master at arms
A Master-at-Arms (US: MA; UK & some Commonwealth: MAA) may be a naval rating, responsible for law enforcement, regulating duties, security, anti-terrorism/force protection (AT/FP) for/of a country's navy; an army officer responsible for physical ...
(MAA) or
colour sergeant or
warrant officer class 1
Warrant may refer to:
* Warrant (law), a form of specific authorization
** Arrest warrant, authorizing the arrest and detention of an individual
** Search warrant, a court order issued that authorizes law enforcement to conduct a search for eviden ...
.
Commissioned officers
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
in the specialisation are drawn from within, with candidates considered suitable for commissioning via the
senior upper yardman scheme as officers of the
warfare branch of the Royal Navy or as officers of the Royal Marines.
Dress
![Royal Navy Police badge (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Royal_Navy_Police_badge_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The trade badge for regulators is a
crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
(worn in a wreath by masters-at-arms).
When undertaking General Police Duties (GPD), regulators will wear either MTP combat uniform or No. 3 dress with senior rates (petty officer and above) wearing the 3A long-sleeved shirt and tie, and ratings wearing short sleeve white shirt with an open neck and black trousers. They will also wear a black stab vest, or high-visibility equipment vest or both, or hi-visibility jacket marked with "RN POLICE" or "ROYAL NAVY POLICE" and a dark-blue beret.
With the introduction of the
PCS in 2016, this uniform was adopted as the standard patrol attire.
GPD equipment
In addition to a stab vest, regulators will carry an expandable Monadnock baton, speedcuffs, and a
TETRA radio with earpiece (on the secure
Airwave network).
Some RNP persons also wear video cameras on their vests, when undertaking GPD.
See also
*
Military police of the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the term military police refers to the three branches of the service police. Often, the term 'military police' is considered synonymous with the Army's Royal Military Police, but in fact, has a wider context. There are a nu ...
*
Defence School of Policing and Guarding
The Defence School of Policing and Guarding is the training centre for the Service Police of the British Armed Forces. It consolidates training for the Royal Navy Police, Royal Military Police and Royal Air Force Police in one location, assuring ...
*
Offences against military law in the United Kingdom
The main Offences against military law in the United Kingdom are set out in the Armed Forces Act 2006.
The offences fall into two main categories, discipline offences and criminal conduct offences. A second distinction is between those offences th ...
*
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 ...
(British Army)
*
Royal Air Force Police
The Royal Air Force Police (RAFP) is the service police branch of the Royal Air Force, headed by the provost marshal of the Royal Air Force. Its headquarters are at RAF Honington and it deploys throughout the world to support RAF and UK defenc ...
*
British Indian Ocean Territory Police
The British Indian Ocean Territory Police serve in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) (situated in the Indian Ocean halfway between Tanzania and Indonesia). BIOT is a territory which does not have a permanent civil population, like most Br ...
*
Ministry of Defence Police
The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) is a civilian special police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The MDP's primary responsibilities are to provide armed security and counter terrorism services to designated hig ...
*
USN master-at-arms and
NCIS, the approximate United States equivalents to the RN Police and RN Police SIB.
References
External links
*
Regulating Branch and Royal Navy Police Association
{{Authority control
Royal Navy
Military police agencies of the United Kingdom