Royal Newfoundland Constabulary

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
	Badge of the RNC
	Shoulder flash of the RNC
	Shirt and vest patch
	RNC flag
Abbreviation	RNC
Motto	"Safer Communities Through Policing Excellence"
Agency overview
Formed	1841
Preceding agency	Newfoundland Constabulary (1729);
Employees	545 (2015, approximately)
Annual budget	Total RNC $60,043,208 Total Current $48,454,517 (2012-2013)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
	The area served by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
Population	526,702
Legal jurisdiction	Provincial
Governing body	His Majesty in Right of Newfoundland
Constituting instrument	Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Act;
General nature	Civilian police;
Operational structure
Headquarters	1 Fort Townshend, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Officers	420 (approximately)
Civilians	125 (approximately)
Minister responsible	John Hogan, Minister of Justice and Public Safety;
Agency executive	Patrick Roche, Chief;
Facilities
Office or detachments	6
Website
	www.rnc.gov.nl.ca

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC) is the provincial police service for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is one of three provincial police forces in Canada, alongside the Ontario Provincial Police and the Sûreté du Québec. Uniquely, the responsibility for policing in Newfoundland and Labrador is not granted to municipalities. In Ontario and Quebec, the provincial police provide frontline police services only to 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 have provided police services in the province's rural interior, in place of the RNC.^[2]

As of 2023, the Constabulary currently serves or is expanding to serve the northeast Avalon Peninsula (metropolitan St. John's); the Bay of Islands and the Humber Valley (metropolitan Corner Brook); and western Labrador (Churchill Falls, Labrador City, and Wabush).^[3]^[1]^[4]

History

The first police constables in Newfoundland and Labrador were appointed by Governor Henry Osborn to six separate judicial districts in 1729. In the 19th century, the RNC was modeled after the Royal Irish Constabulary^[5] 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.^[6] Legislation governing the Newfoundland Constabulary was passed by the House of Assembly 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.^[7]

In 1935, the Newfoundland Commission of Government established the Newfoundland Ranger Force, a police service modelled on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, to serve rural parts of Newfoundland and Labrador.^[8] The Ranger Force replaced the Newfoundland Constabulary outside of the Avalon Peninsula, the Humber Arm (and in particular, the four communities that make up present-day Corner Brook), Grand Falls, and other built-up communities on the island.^[8]

During World War II, 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, a fatal structure fire believed to have been an arson attack.^[9]^[10]

After Newfoundland and Labrador joined Canada 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.^[11]

In 1979, Queen Elizabeth II of Canada conferred a royal patronage on the Newfoundland Constabulary in recognition of its long history of service to Newfoundland and Labrador.^[11] The force subsequently changed its name to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.

The first women were sworn in as constables in 1980.^[11]

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.^[11]

In 1998, RNC officers were authorized to begin carrying their handguns on their belt.^[12] 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, 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.

In 2019, the force hired its first Black police officers, Paul Growns and Jevaughn Coley.^[13]

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.^[14]

In 2023, the Constabulary re-expanded again, replacing the RCMP in the areas surrounding Corner Brook, to Pasadena in the northeast and the Bay of Islands in the west.^[4]

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 - Detachment (of the St. John's Regional Office)
Churchill Falls - Detachment (of the Labrador West Regional Office)
Corner Brook - Regional Office
Labrador City / Wabush (Labrador West) - Regional Office

The Constabulary also maintains a satellite office of the St. John's Regional Office in Mount Pearl.^[3]

Organizational structure

Rank	Commanding officers		Senior officers		Police officers			Officer-in-training
Rank	Chief of Police	Deputy Chief of Police	Superintendent	Inspector	Staff Sergeant	Sergeant	Constable	Cadet
INSIGNIA

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.^[15]

Mounted unit

The RNC has operated a mounted unit since 1873.^[16]

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 horses:^[16]

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:

Make/Model	Type	Origin
Chevrolet Impala	General police vehicle	Canada
Chevrolet Tahoe	(marked) General police vehicle, Traffic Services	Canada
Chevrolet Silverado	(marked) General police vehicle, Forensic Identification Section	Canada
Dodge Charger	General police vehicle	Canada
Ram pickup	Parking Enforcement, Document Services Section	United States
Ford Police Interceptor	Highway Unit, General police vehicle, Traffic Services	United States
Ford Expedition	(marked) Supervisor Truck, Traffic Services, Special Operations	United States
Ford F-150	General police vehicle, Forensic Services Section	United States
GMC Sierra	General police vehicle	United States
Dodge Durango	General police vehicle	United States
Ford Explorer (Ford Police Interceptor Utility) (2020+)	General police vehicle	United States

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.^[17] 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.

Model	Type	Origin
SIG Sauer P226	handgun	Germany
Colt C8 Patrol Carbine	Semi-automatic rifle	Canada
Remington Model 870	shotgun	United States
Pepper spray	Lachrymatory agent	Canada
Armament Systems and Procedures baton	collapsible baton	United States
Taser X26	Electroshock weapon	United States