The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) is the provincial

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

service for the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is one of three provincial police forces in Canada, alongside the

Ontario Provincial Police The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is the provincial police service of Ontario, Canada. Under its provincial mandate, the OPP patrols provincial highways and waterways, protects provincial government buildings and officials, patrols unincorp ...

and the

Sûreté du Québec The (SQ; , ) is the provincial police service for the Canadian province of Quebec. No official English name exists, but the agency's name is sometimes translated to 'Quebec Provincial Police' or QPP in English-language sources. The headquarters ...

. Uniquely, the responsibility policing in Newfoundland and Labrador is not granted to municipalities — in Ontario and Quebec, the provincial police provide frontline police services only to extraordinarily small communities or at the request of a municipal council; in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Constabulary operates in all communities by default. Since 1949, the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

have provided police services in the province's rural interior, in place of the RNC.

History

The first police constables in Newfoundland and Labrador were appointed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Henry Osborn to six separate judicial districts in 1729. In the 19th century, the RNC was modeled after the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

with the secondment in 1844 of Timothy Mitchell to be Inspector General. The administration of police services was centralized under one Inspector and General Superintendent of Police in 1853. Legislation governing the Newfoundland Constabulary was passed by the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...

in 1871. In January 1909, John J. Sullivan became the first Newfoundland-born police chief of the Constabulary, a post he held until September 1917. In 1935, the

Newfoundland Commission of Government The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949. Established following the collapse of Newfoundland's economy during the Great Depression, it was dissolved when the dominion became ...

established the Newfoundland Ranger Force, a police service modelled on the

, to serve rural parts of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Ranger Force replaced the Newfoundland Constabulary outside of the

Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula (french: Péninsule d'Avalon) is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of Newfoundland's population, according ...

, the

Humber Arm The Humber Arm is the southernmost arm of the Bay of Islands on the west coast of Newfoundland. The arm has the highest concentration of fresh water of the entire bay, due to inflow of the Humber River. The Humber is one of the major rivers on th ...

(and in particular, the four communities that make up present-day Corner Brook), Grand Falls, and other built-up communities on the island. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Newfoundland Constabulary provided police and investigative services to the foreign militaries stationed at St. John's, famously investigating the 1942

Knights of Columbus Hostel fire The Knights of Columbus Hostel fire was a structure fire that occurred on December 12, 1942, in St. John's, Newfoundland in a hostel operated by the Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic fraternal organization. A total of 99 people were killed ...

, a fatal structure fire believed to have been an arson attack. After Newfoundland and Labrador joined

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1949, the Ranger Force was disbanded and replaced by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which also replaced the Newfoundland Constabulary outside of the City of St. John's. In 1979, Queen Elizabeth II of Canada conferred a

royal patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

on the Newfoundland Constabulary in recognition of its long history of service to Newfoundland and Labrador. The force subsequently changed its name to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. The first women were sworn-in as constables in 1980. Between 1981 and 1986, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary gradually re-expanded, replacing the RCMP in the northeast Avalon Region, parts of Labrador, and Corner Brook. In 1998, RNC officers were authorized to begin carrying their handguns on their belt. Previously, officers were required to keep their firearms locked in the trunk of their car unless they were needed. On May 3, 2005, the RNC made a formal exchange of colours with the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

, one of two successor forces to the Royal Irish Constabulary. The exchange of colours was to mark the historic links between policing in Newfoundland and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. In 2019, the force hired its first Black police officers, Paul Growns and Jevaughn Coley. In 2022, the Constabulary sparked controversy after it was revealed that a constable facing four domestic violence-related charges was granted the Chief of Police's Commendation, which recognizes "distinguished, commendable act of police duty or outstanding contribution to the RNC," during her criminal trial.

Operations

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary operates out of five police stations, referred to as regional offices or detachments: * St. John's - serves as the Constabulary's headquarters *

Conception Bay South Conception Bay South is a town located on the southern shore of Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town is commonly called C.B.S. Conception Bay South is the ...

- Detachment (of the St. John's Regional Office) *

Churchill Falls Churchill Falls is a high waterfall on the Churchill River in Labrador, Canada. Formerly counted among the most impressive natural features of Canada, the diversion of the river for the Churchill Falls Generating Station has cut off almo ...

- Regional Office * Corner Brook - Regional Office *

Labrador City Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population centre in Labrador, behind Happy Valley-Go ...

- Detachment (of the Churchill Falls Regional Office) The Constabulary also maintains a satellite office of the St. John's Regional Office in Mount Pearl.

Organizational structure

Specialized units

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary maintains several specialized investigative and response units, including a tactical response team, criminal and general investigations units, a police dogs unit, a marine unit, a public order unit, and a collision reconstruction team.

Mounted unit

The RNC has operated a mounted unit since 1873. The current horse-mounted team 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 The Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in the Huisne river valley in western France, part of the former Perche province from which the breed takes its name. Usually gray or black in color, Percherons are well muscled, and ...

horses: * Dr. Rich * Townshend * Fraize * Dobbin

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:

* Other vehicles are commissioned for special purposes, such as the Tactics and Rescue Unit (TRU), Dog Services, Mounted Unit Transport, and Evidence Collection. * 29-foot Mercury Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) with twin 200HP engines * The RNC has no helicopters, and instead relies on the RCMP to provide police helicopter services.

Equipment

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.

References

External links

*
Oral history collection related to Ferryland Constabulary officers
{{Authority control Government agencies established in 1841 Law enforcement agencies of Newfoundland and Labrador Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage 1840s establishments in Newfoundland 1841 establishments in North America Protective security units