The Stlatlimx Tribal Police Service (STPS) is the police force for
St'at'imc (or Stlʼatlʼimx, ) aboriginal peoples of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. The STPS is the only
aboriginal police service in British Columbia. Their officers are appointed as designated
provincial constables, and have full police powers on and off-duty throughout the province. They are based in
Lillooet and
Mount Currie.
Communities served consist of the
N'Quatqua (
Anderson Lake),
Lil'wat (
Mount Currie),
Samahquam (Baptiste-Smith),
Sekw'el'was (Cayoose Creek),
Skatin (
Skookumchuck),
T'it'q'et (
Lillooet),
Tsalalh (
Seton Lake),
Ts'kw'aylaxw (
Pavilion), Xa'xtsa (
Douglas), and
Xaxli'p (Fountain).
History
In 1986 the
Lillooet first nation band council established a security program where officers patrolled reserves and worked with the
RCMP
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
to prevent and prosecute crime. In 1988 the council built on the security program by forming the peacekeepers for the communities of T'itq'et, Tsalalth, and Lil'wat.
By 1992, the
Solicitor General of British Columbia and seven Stlatlimx communities established a tribal policing project. An agreement with the RCMP formalized a partnership and the RCMP's role as the primary policing authority in the participating communities. In 1999, the BC Police Act was amended to include designated policing agencies. The STPS were re-established under Section 4.1 of the act as a designated policing agency.
Structure
STPS is the only First Nations Administered Police Service (FNAPS) in British Columbia. Modeled on the structure of an independent municipal police department, the department is governed by a police board selected from the communities served. Police officers appointed by the board are either experienced officers or graduates of the
Justice Institute of British Columbia, Police Academy.
In 2013, the Stlatlimx Tribal Police had an authorized strength of 9 police officers.
See also
*
Aboriginal police in Canada
*
List of law enforcement agencies in British Columbia
*
E-Comm
References
External links
STPS website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stl{{hamzaatl{{hamzaimx Tribal Police Service
Law enforcement agencies of British Columbia
Law enforcement agencies of First Nations in Canada
1992 establishments in British Columbia
Government agencies established in 1992
First Nations organizations in British Columbia