The Royal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP) is the

territorial police force 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, ...

responsible for law enforcement within the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

. The current Chief Police Officer is Superintendent Michael Luke. The Falkland Islands Police Force was granted the "Royal" prefix by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

on 1 January 1992.

History

The force was established on 1 November 1846 with the appointment of Francis Parry as Chief Constable. The Constables Ordinance 1846, which had been enacted by the colony's Legislative Council on 27 October of that year, created an organisation that has remained at the service of the public ever since. It was initially staffed by three officers - the Chief Constable, the Gaoler (responsible for prisoners), and the Night Constable (responsible for policing during the night). The

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, a ...

, which has remained the headquarters building since it was completed in 1873, is situated centrally in Stanley. The building, which has had several wooden extensions added over the years, was built of stone by the detachment of

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 warfare, amphibious light infantry and also one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighti ...

that were stationed in the colony at that time. Today all serving police officers are based at Stanley police station or the military base. Historically local constables were based at

Fox Bay Fox Bay ( es, Bahía Fox or ''Bahía Zorro'' ) is the second largest settlement on West Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It is located on a bay of the same name, and is on the south east coast of the island. It is often divided into Fox B ...

(by 1900), and the

Jason Islands The Jason Islands (Spanish: ''Islas Sebaldes'') are an archipelago in the Falkland Islands, lying to the far north-west of West Falkland. Three of the islands, Steeple Jason, Grand Jason and Clarke's Islet, are private nature reserves owned by ...

(by 1920), with another at

Grytviken Grytviken ( ) is a settlement on South Georgia in the South Atlantic and formerly a whaling station and the largest settlement on the island. It is located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay, considered the best ...

in South Georgia (also by 1920) chiefly to prevent seal poaching. The police station took a direct hit from a British missile during the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial ...

on 11 June 1982 and was severely damaged. The fabric of the building was repaired but after 135 years of continual service it was totally refurbished in 2008. This was completed in 2009 with the new jail being opened by the Princess Royal on 24 March 2009.

Operation

Communication is based on

VHF Very high frequency (VHF) is the ITU designation for the range of radio frequency electromagnetic waves (radio waves) from 30 to 300 megahertz (MHz), with corresponding wavelengths of ten meters to one meter. Frequencies immediately below VHF ...

FM radio and is encrypted. It is monitored from a force control room in Stanley. The use of a repeater greatly extends the range of coverage. Codes of practice are published originating from the Criminal Justice Ordinance 1989. All equipment issued to officers and practices used to comply with Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guidelines. In common with British police practice, officers are not routinely armed. Owing to the small size of the force, there are no permanent armed response units, although some officers are trained and certified as armed response officers.

Personnel

The RFIP has a total staff of 28, including sworn constables and support staff, for front desk and licensing duties. The RFIP consists of: *a Superintendent ''(Chief Police Officer)'' *an Inspector, ''(Deputy)'' *a Detective Sergeant, *2 uniform Sergeants, *12 Police Constables, *3 Detective Constables, *8 Reserve Police Constables ''(similar to UK special constables but paid)''. There are also four police support staff: *Senior Clerk, *Licensing Officer, *2 Station Enquiry Officers.

Ranks

The force uses the following standard British policing ranks:

List

* Superintendent *

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 ...

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 ...

Constable 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 RFIP is headed by a Chief Police Officer, who holds the rank of Superintendent. The Chief Police Officer is assisted by a Deputy Chief Officer who holds the rank of Inspector.

Uniformed policing

Uniformed community policing is carried out by a team of 12 police constables and 8 reserve constables, supervised by two police sergeants.

Criminal Investigation Department

The island's permanent CID was formed in 2018. Previously criminal detection was undertaken by uniformed police officers. The CID is staffed by three detective constables and one detective sergeant.

Prison service

Until November 2014 the RFIP also provided prison services on the Falkland Islands. Since that time there has been a separate and dedicated prison service, but this is still located within the police station, working with the RFIP to provide custody and detention facilities. The prison service is staffed by a prison manager and four prison officers.

Other Falklands police services

Owing to the large military presence on the Falkland Islands there is always a contingent of

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

- known as Joint Service Police & Security Unit (JSPSU), British Forces South Atlantic - stationed on the island. As a matter of policy, all British Military Police officers from all three services assigned to the Falklands are also sworn in as RFIP reserve constables, so that they have full civil police powers during their tour of duty.

References

External links

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Politics of the Falkland Islands Organizations established in 1846 Organizations with royal patronage 1846 establishments in the British Empire 1846 establishments in the United Kingdom 1846 establishments in the Falkland Islands