The Royal Montserrat Police Service is the

police service 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 ...

of the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Br ...

island of

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with roughly of coastline. It is n ...

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 ...

. The current Commissioner is Steve Foster, JP, BSc, CPA., a native and career police officer of

History

The Police Force of Montserrat was a division of the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean Sea North Atlantic Ocean , co ...

Police Force, which served

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

St Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

and

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and ...

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 terr ...

and the

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...

, with headquarters in Antigua. The Leeward Islands Colony was dissolved in 1959 and the Montserrat Police Force became a division of the Antigua, Montserrat, and British Virgin Islands Police Force. The

Royal Title Traditional rank amongst European royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another's grand duke ...

was bestowed on the force in 1966, and The Royal Montserrat Police Service became autonomous on 27 February 1967. Between the years 1967 and 2007, there was one Chief of Police and ten Commissioners of Police from countries such as

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

St Kitts-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 ...

and even native islanders. The police service also ran a football team that played in the

Montserrat Championship The Montserrat Championship is the top association football division in Montserrat. It was created in 1974 but has been competed-for only sporadically since then, partially as a result of the Soufrière Hills eruption causing widespread devasta ...

, the top level of football on the island. They were the most successful club winning the league four times. The RMPS celebrated its 50th anniversary in February 2017, having been disbanded from the Leeward Islands Police Force in 1967.

Structure and Duties

The RMPS is a civilian, local police force and has authority to uphold the King's peace throughout the territory. The RMPS website states that their duty is: *Preservation of the King's Peace, *Protection of Life & Property, *Prevention and Detection of Crime and *Bringing Offenders to Justice.

Departments/Units

The RMPS is divided into five main departments, each with a specific function. These are: *Beat & Patrol *Traffic Department *Marine & Immigration Department *Human Resource/Training/IT Department *Criminal Investigation Department (CID)/Criminal Records Office

Rank structure

The management rank structure of the RMPS follows that of most UK and

British Overseas Territories The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remnants of the former Bri ...

. The Commissioner (head of the service) is assisted by a Deputy Commissioner of Police and Superintendent of Operations.

Regular Ranks

*Commissioner of Police (COP) *Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) *Superintendent (Operations) (Sup Ops) *Inspector (OIC Departments) *Sergeant (SPO) *Constable (PC)

New "Recognition Ranks"

*Chief Inspector *Station Sergeant *Corporal *Senior Constable

New "Marine Unit Ranks"

*Marine Sergeant (MS) *Petty Officer (PO) *Leading Seaman (LS) *Able Body Seaman (ABS) *Ordinary Seaman (OS)

Special Constables

The RMPS employs special constables to assist regular constables, or to act as specialists and support regulars on 'Special Duty Police Assignments', if necessary.

Uniforms and Equipment

The RMPS employs a variety of staff & constables and each have different types of uniform and equipment, to perform their duties effectively.

Uniform

RMPS uniform is typical of British & Caribbean police forces' uniforms, with several different types for different duties, ranks and seasons. It is modelled on other UK and

police uniforms.

Formal Uniform

The formal uniform is for ceremonial and important occasions, such as Remembrance Days, VE Day celebrations, Royal events, etc. It consists of:

"Blues"

This is similar to 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 Gurkha ...

's No. 2/service dress uniform. *Dark blue tunic, open at collar with white shirt & dark tie underneath *Dark blue trousers/skirt *Sam Browne belt *Dark blue peaked cap (males) or bowler cap (females), the RMPS logo forms the capbadge and a certain amount of braid on the cap is added for ranks from Inspector above. *Black shoes/boots *Dark gloves.

"Whites"

This uniform is similar to the

's No. 3 (Tropical) Dress, which is the most formal. *White tunic with silver buttons, worn open with white shirt and tie (females) and worn closed with high collar for males *Black trousers (males) or skirt (females) with white piping *Black belt with central clasp (lower ranks) or shoulder belt (senior officers) *White pith helmet (males), white-topped bowler cap (females) with capbadge *Black boots *White gloves.

Notes

*Swords or swagger sticks (Inspectors and above) may be carried on certain occasions. *Medals (if any awarded) are worn on the left breast, above the breast pocket and medal ribbons are sewn into the tunic. *Rank insignia for Inspectors and above are worn on the shoulders/epaulettes. Sergeants wear three chevrons on the upper arm and constables wear no rank insignia. *Constables and Sergeants were a "Collar Number", on some part of the uniform. *The staple British police whistle-on-chain is worn on the chest/left pocket area of most uniforms.

"Undress" Uniform

The undress uniform is the uniform that is worn by police officers for non-formal and non-arduous work, such as everyday work, travelling, patrolling, attending meetings etc. It is similar to the

's No. 6 (Warm Weather) Barrack Dress and is 'stone' coloured. It consists of: *Stone coloured bush jacket with silver buttons *Stone coloured trousers *Peaked cap (males) and female peaked cap (females) with RMPS capbadge *Black boots/shoes.

Notes

*Constables wear their "Collar Number" on the right breast of the shirt. *Rank insignia for Inspectors and above are worn on the shoulders/epaulettes. Sergeants wear three chevrons on the upper arm and constables wear no rank insignia. *Lanyards may be worn by senior officers on the left side. *Medal ribbons (if any) are worn on the left breast. *The staple British police whistle-on-chain is worn on the chest/left pocket area of most uniforms.

Operational Uniform

The operational uniform for officers is either the "Undress" uniform (see above) (with additional equipment, e.g. yellow traffic vest) or a similar uniform, but with a white shirt and black trousers, rather than stone coloured shirt/trousers.

Police Equipment

The RMPS uses a variety of equipment, such as radios, handcuffs and yellow traffic vests. The staple British police whistle-on-chain is worn on the chest/left pocket area of most uniforms.

Firearms

The RMPS are generally unarmed, but for some formal parades some weapons are carried, such as: *Sword (ceremonial sabre) – carried by senior officers (Inspectors in above), in either "Blues" or "Whites" formal uniform. It can be worn in it sheath, or 'drawn' when inspecting constables. *Rifle – either a No. 4 Lee Enfield Rifle or a more modern rifle. This is for the constables to carry on parade. *Drill cane/pace stick – this is for Sergeants to carry when on parade, when not carrying rifles. *Swagger stick (shorter cane) – this is for Inspectors and above to carry, when not carrying swords.

References

External links

Official siteReview of Royal Montserrat Police Service May 2012
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Organisations based in Montserrat Government agencies established in 1967