This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(December 2013) |
Canadian Forces National Investigation Service Service national des enquêtes des Forces canadiennes (French) | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | CFNIS |
Motto |
|
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1 September 1997 |
Employees | ≈120 |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | Canada |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Agency executive |
|
Parent agency | Canadian Forces Military Police |
The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS) is the investigative arm of the Canadian Forces Military Police. The CFNIS is an independent military police unit that provides an independent investigative capability for the purpose of fair and impartial administration of military justice.
The CFNIS was established in 1997 with a mandate to investigate serious and sensitive matters related to the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Forces (CF). It performs a function similar to that of a Major Crime unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) or large municipal/provincial police agency. The CFNIS was created to address lessons learned through the CF's experiences in Somalia, the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and on other difficult deployed missions. The creation of the CFNIS also fulfilled recommendations made by the Special Advisory Group on Military Justice and Military Police Investigation Services, chaired by Brian Dickson, and the Report of the Military Police Services Review Group (Belzile Report) [2] that the Military Justice System required an investigative agency that was independent of the military chain of command.
The CFNIS has maintained a presence in every major CF deployment since 1997. The CFNIS has repeatedly demonstrated the value of their independence, investigative expertise, and ability to function under the most austere conditions. The CFNIS investigated the "friendly fire" bombing of CF troops in Afghanistan. Each subsequent fatality in the operational theatre has also been investigated by the CFNIS including the death of two fellow Military Police members during an Improvised Explosive Device attack.
The CFNIS investigates serious or sensitive service and criminal offences against property, persons, and DND. It has authority and jurisdiction over persons subject to the Code of Service Discipline (CSD), wherever Canadian Forces are established or deployed throughout the world, regardless of rank or status. Civilians deployed with the military can also be subject to the Code of Service Discipline. In addition, like all members of the Canadian Forces Military Police, personnel of the CFNIS have the authority to lay criminal charges in civilian court in cases where civilians break the law on or in relation to military property.
To contribute to the maintenance of operationally ready, combat-capable forces by providing professional, timely and independent police investigative services to the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Forces and the communities they serve at home and around the world.
All personnel within the CFNIS are members of the Military Police. The members are specifically selected for these positions and typically have a broad variety of experience both in Canada and with deployed CF Missions around the world. Section 156 of the National Defence Act and section 2 of the Criminal Code define the powers of military police. Their investigative training is on par with any major police agency in Canada. They receive training at the Canadian Forces Military Police Academy (CFMPA) at CFB Borden, Ontario, through the Canadian Police College in Ottawa, Ontario, and through a variety of partnerships with domestic police agencies and military allies. The members of the CFNIS remain subject to the Military Police Code of Conduct and are subject to oversight by the Military Police Professional Standards organization and the Military Police Complaints Commission, a federal independent, quasi-judicial body, established by the Parliament of Canada.
The CFNIS Commanding Officer (CO) is a Lieutenant-Colonel, who reports directly to the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal (CFPM). Regardless of the circumstance or environment, the members of the CFNIS remain under command of the CFNIS CO. The independence that results from this command relationship enables the CFNIS to conduct thorough investigations without fear of influence from any military command element.
Requests for CFNIS investigations come through regular military police organizations, but CF members and DND employees can lay complaints, or communicate directly with regional offices or individual CFNIS members. Charges, through either civilian or military courts, can follow investigation and documentation of complaints that fall within the CFNIS mandate. Investigators receive dedicated, independent advice from Regional Military Prosecutors throughout the course of their investigations. The CFNIS works in close cooperation with other military police units and civilian law enforcement agencies. Other countries with an independent military investigative capability include the United States, United Kingdom and France.
The CFNIS HQ is in Ottawa, Ontario, and services are provided through six regional offices, a special operations section and a criminal intelligence section.
On major CF deployments, a detachment of the CFNIS may be established on a temporary basis.
While the CFNIS Regional Detachments are on or near Canadian Forces Bases, the CFNIS personnel work independently from the normal military chain of command. They receive direction and report directly to the CO CFNIS.
Members of the CFNIS are selected from fully trained, experienced Military Police members who have completed various Military Police training and worked for at least one tour of duty as a Military Police in a base or wing before applying to become an investigator with the CFNIS. After selection, they are submitted to specialized training depending on their positions and also have to complete a one-year internship before operating as a full-fledged investigator.
This course is designed to provide new members of the CFNIS with a detailed understanding of the full spectrum of CFNIS operations including all associated internal specialty services. Subjects covered during this course include:
All new members of the CFNIS undergo the Military Police Investigations Course (MPIC) at the Canadian Forces Military Police Academy (CFMPA). During this course the students are taught specialist skills such as crime scene processing, investigation planning, writing of search warrants and planning and conducting interviews. This training includes an intensive final crime scene processing examination. After completion of this course all CFNIS members undergo a one-year "internship" program where they are expected to hone their practical investigative skills under the guidance of an experienced CFNIS member. CFNIS members also attend numerous specialty investigation courses at other training facilities, such as the Canadian Police College, where they undergo instruction on a vast array of subjects such as major case management, drug investigation techniques, forensic interviewing, forensic identification, and sexual assault investigations.
Professional development for CFNIS members is continuous since they are expected to maintain currency in order to provide the best service possible.
Members of the CFNIS undergo specialized training depending on their positions, in areas like major case management, sexual assault investigations, major crimes techniques, fraud investigations, sudden death investigations, forensics interviewing, arson basic investigations and computer forensics to name a few.
Members of the CFNIS sometimes fill seconded positions with other law enforcement agencies across the country. Some examples of secondments include: Halifax Regional Police Integrated Major Crimes Unit, Sûreté du Québec Major Crimes, Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (Ottawa), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in various divisions. The experience gained to date with these secondments has proven invaluable in the continued professional development of Canadian Forces Military Police personnel and continues to strengthen intimate ties with local civilian policing partners.
The CFNIS HQ, based Ottawa, has a seconded position for an RCMP Inspector within its organization.
Military justice is the body of laws and procedures governing members of the armed forces. Many nation-states have separate and distinct bodies of law that govern the conduct of members of their armed forces. Some states use special judicial and other arrangements to enforce those laws, while others use civilian judicial systems. Legal issues unique to military justice include the preservation of good order and discipline, the legality of orders, and appropriate conduct for members of the military. Some states enable their military justice systems to deal with civil offenses committed by their armed forces in some circumstances.
Counterintelligence (counter-intelligence) or counterespionage (counter-espionage) is any activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or other intelligence activities conducted by, for, or on behalf of foreign powers, organizations or persons.
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 reconnaissance, logistic traffic management, counterinsurgency, and detainee handling.
Canadian Forces Base Borden, formerly RCAF Station Camp Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CFB Borden is home to the largest training wing in the Canadian Armed Forces. The base is run by Canadian Forces Support Training Group (CFSTG) and reports to the Canadian Defence Academy (CDA) in Kingston.
The minister of National Defence is a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the management and direction of all matters relating to the national defence of Canada.
The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises. Members of the RMP are often known as 'Redcaps' because of the scarlet covers on their peaked caps and scarlet coloured berets.
A Canadian Forces base or CFB is a military installation of the Canadian Armed Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces base, it must station one or more major units.
Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, provosts, from the Old French prévost. While a provost marshal is now usually a senior commissioned officer, they may be a person of any rank who commands any number of MPs; historically, the title was sometimes applied to civilian officials, especially under conditions of martial law, or when a military force had day-to-day responsibility for some or all aspects of civilian law enforcement. A provost marshal may also oversee security services, imprisonment, fire/emergency services and ambulances.
The Canadian Forces Military Police provide police, security and operational support services to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Department of National Defence (DND) worldwide.
Canadian Forces Station Leitrim, also referred to as CFS Leitrim, is a Canadian Forces Station located in the neighbourhood of Leitrim in Ottawa, Ontario. It is concerned with the interception, decrypting and processing of communication for the Communications Security Establishment and the Canadian Forces, and forms part of the ECHELON system.
The Intelligence Branch is a personnel branch of the Canadian Forces (CF) that is concerned with providing relevant and correct information to enable commanders to make decisions.
Law enforcement in Canada is the responsibility of police services, special constabularies, and civil law enforcement agencies, which are operated by every level of government, some private and Crown corporations, and First Nations. In contrast to the United States or Mexico, and with the exception of the Unité permanente anticorruption in Quebec and the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia, there are no organizations dedicated exclusively to the investigation of criminal activity in Canada. Criminal investigations are instead conducted by police services, which maintain specialized criminal investigation units in addition to their mandate for emergency response and general community safety.
Canadian Forces Base Uplands was a Canadian Forces Base located in Ottawa, Ontario. Most of the land which formed the base was transferred to the Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport after the base was closed in the 1990s. Several military units continue to exist at the former base and the Canadian Forces continues to maintain military housing at the site. The former base is now known formally as "Canadian Forces Support Unit (Ottawa) - Uplands Site."
The United States Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID), previously known as the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC), is the primary federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Army. Its primary function is to investigate felony crimes and serious violations of military law and the United States Code within the US Army. The division is an independent federal law enforcement agency with investigative autonomy; CID special agents, both military and civilian, report through the CID chain of command to the CID Director, who reports directly to the Under Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Army. Unlike their counterparts at OSI and NCIS, Army CID does not have primary counterintelligence responsibilities.
Canadian Forces Fire and Emergency Services provide fire and emergency services to Canadian Forces land bases in Canada where local services are not available or sufficient.
The counter-terrorism page primarily deals with special police or military organizations that carry out arrest or direct combat with terrorists. This page deals with the other aspects of counter-terrorism:
2 Military Police Regiment is a unit of the Canadian Forces. It provides support to the Canadian Army within the Province of Ontario. It does not provide support to Canadian Forces Bases Borden, Trenton and North Bay and Canadian Forces Support Unit (Ottawa). The unit was initially created in the summer of 2006. Since then, the unit was officially established by a ministerial organization order (MOO) and a Canadian Forces organization order (CFOO) dated September 24, 2007. It is a "total force" unit of the Canadian Army Military Police Group (CA MP Gp). The term total force describes a unit which includes both Regular Force and Reserve Force members. 2 MP Regt is responsible for police, security and detention operations as well as police support in field operations. The unit headquarters is at the George Taylor Denison III Armoury, more commonly known as Denison Armoury, in Toronto, Ontario. The strength of 2 MP Regt totals just under 300 personnel. Since the transfer of command authority (TOCA) on 1 April 2011, 2 MP Regt is under the full command of the Canadian Forces Military Police Group through the CA MP Gp, and attached operational command (OPCOM) to the 4th Canadian Division. The unit is commanded by a major as the commanding officer (CO) and the unit has a master warrant officer who is the regimental sergeant major (RSM). The CO of 2 MP Regt reports directly to the commander of the CA MP Gp, as well as the commander of 4 Cdn Div. The CO has a dual function as commanding officer and division provost marshal.
The decades following the Rebellions of 1837–1838 marked the start of intelligence services in Canada. Defeat in the failed uprising caused the restoration of colonial regimes and the reform of imperialism. As a result, informal intelligence services were formed to conduct certain activities. 1864 marked the formation of two secret police forces and the formal intelligence service in Canada. Created to protect the Canada–United States border, these organization were under the control of a Montreal police commander and political ally. In response to a number of raid and attacks connected with Irish nationalism, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald merged the two forces to form the Dominion Police (DP). The DP was subsequently merged with the North-West Mounted Police to form the Royal North-West Mounted Police in 1904 and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1920.
The Biological and Chemical Defence Review Committee, or BCDRC is a civilian body having oversight of the Canadian military's activities in the area of defence against biological and chemical warfare.
The following is a hierarchical outline for the Canadian Armed Forces at the end of the Cold War. It is intended to convey the connections and relationships between units and formations.