Royal Grenada Police Force

Last updated
Royal Grenada Police Force
Royal Grenada Police Force emblem.svg
Logo for the RGPF
AbbreviationRGPF
Agency overview
Formed1853
Jurisdictional structure
National agency Grenada
Operations jurisdiction Grenada
Size348.5 square kilometres (134.6 sq mi)
Population124,610
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersFort George, St. George's, Grenada
Sworn members940 (out of 1025 permitted by statue)
Agency executives
  • Edvin Martin, Commissioner of Police
  • Franklyn Redhead, Deputy Commissioner of Police
  • Jessmon Prince, Assistant Commissioner of Police
  • Michael Francois, Assistant Commissioner of Police
Facilities
Police stations 14
Website
https://rgpf.gd/
Royal Grenadian Police station, Grand Anse, St. George's, Grenada Royal Grenadian Police station in Grand Anse, Grenada.jpg
Royal Grenadian Police station, Grand Anse, St. George's, Grenada

The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) is responsible for law enforcement in Grenada. The RGPF enforces criminal, immigration, and maritime laws. It is also held responsible for seaport security and fire services. With 14 police stations and over 940 staff members, the force responds to over 15,000 crimes and incidents per year. The Royal Grenada Police Force also has a paramilitary force for national defense. [1]

Contents

History

The RGPF dates back to 1853 as simply the Grenada Police Force. In 1854, the RGPF was based at Fort George, Grenada and supported by the Colonial Government of Grenada. The force grew slowly and by 1923, the police force had 92 soldiers. [2]

During the People's Revolutionary Government's brief revolutionary era in the early 80s, the RGPF was known as the Grenada Police Service. During this period, the police lost virtually all of its authority and was forced to delegate many of its powers with the newly formed People's Revolutionary Army. Its headquarters under the leadership of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was moved from Fort George (renamed by that time to Fort Rupert)[ citation needed ] to Melville Street on 24 May 1979. [2]

The name was reverted and the police headquarters returned to Fort George following in October 1983 following the military coup that was led by General Hudson Austin with the United States invasion of Grenada. [3] Prior to 1984, officers recruited into the force were trained at the Regional Police Training Centre in Barbados.

Between the 1905–1907, the National Band of Grenada was established in the RGPF as a drum and bugle corps. It was then called the Government Band, which comprised volunteers including tradesmen. On 1 August 1967, the band was renamed RGPF band having Mr. Switch De Couteau as its first Inspector of Police as bandmaster. [4]

Today, the RGPF is the sole law enforcement agency for the country. The RGPF is permitted up to 1,025 sworn members, however, currently only has 940 members. Approximately 14% of the force is female. [2]

Departments

The RGPF has 18 distinct departments with different purposes. These departments include a fire department, police headquarters, a prosecution department, immigration department, drug squad, police band, coast guard, training academy, traffic and transport department, criminal records office, criminal investigation department, community relations department, port police department, information technology unit, and a special victims unit.

Additionally, there is a department dedicated to providing security for the Government House, workplace and residence of the Governor-General of Grenada and a Special Branch for diplomatic and other governmental security. [5]

Finally, there is a Special Services Unit for high profile cases. [6]

Commissioners

See also

Related Research Articles

The history of Grenada in the Caribbean, part of the Lesser Antilles group of islands, covers a period from the earliest human settlements to the establishment of the contemporary nationstate of Grenada. First settled by indigenous peoples, Grenada by the time of European contact was inhabited by the Caribs. French colonists killed most of the Caribs on the island and established plantations on the island, eventually importing African slaves to work on the sugar plantations.

The politics of Grenada takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, whereby the prime minister is the head of government. Grenada is an independent Commonwealth realm. It is governed under a multi-party parliamentary system whose political and legal traditions closely follow those of the United Kingdom; it has a prime minister and a cabinet, and a bicameral Parliament with an elected House of Representatives and an appointed Senate. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. Constitutional safeguards include freedom of speech, press, worship, motion, and association. Grenada is a member of the eastern Caribbean court system. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Jurisprudence is based on English common law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States invasion of Grenada</span> 1983 invasion of Grenada by the United States

The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, 100 miles (160 km) north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it resulted in military occupation within a few days. It was triggered by the strife within the People's Revolutionary Government, which resulted in the house arrest and execution of the previous leader and second Prime Minister of Grenada, Maurice Bishop, and the establishment of the Revolutionary Military Council, with Hudson Austin as chairman. The invasion resulted in the appointment of an interim government, followed by elections in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Gairy</span> 20th-century Grenadian politician; 1st Prime Minister (1974–79)

Sir Eric Matthew Gairy PC was the first Prime Minister of Grenada, serving from his country's independence in 1974 until his overthrow in a coup by Maurice Bishop in 1979. Gairy also served as head of government in pre-independence Grenada as Chief Minister from 1961 to 1962, and as Premier from 1967 to 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice Bishop</span> Grenadian revolutionary and 1979–1983 socialist leader

Maurice Rupert Bishop was a Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of New Jewel Movement – a Marxist–Leninist party that sought to prioritise socio-economic development, education, and black liberation – that came to power during the 13 March 1979 revolution that removed Eric Gairy from office. Bishop headed the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada from 1979 to 1983, when he was dismissed from his post and executed during the coup by Bernard Coard, leading to upheaval.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is distinct from its Special Branch. The name derives from the CID of the Metropolitan Police, formed on 8 April 1878 by C. E. Howard Vincent as a re-formation of its Detective Branch. British colonial police forces all over the world adopted the terminology developed in the UK in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and later the police forces of those countries often retained it after independence. English-language media often use "CID" as a translation to refer to comparable organisations in other countries.

Winston Bernard Coard is a Grenadian politician who was Deputy Prime Minister in the People's Revolutionary Government of the New Jewel Movement. Coard launched a coup within the revolutionary government and took power for three days until he was himself deposed by General Hudson Austin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jewel Movement</span> Left-wing political party in Grenada from 1973–1983, ruled from 1979–1983

The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Forces Military Police</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Revolutionary Government (Grenada)</span> 1979–1983 socialist government of Grenada

The People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) was proclaimed on 13 March 1979 after the Marxist–Leninist New Jewel Movement overthrew the government of Grenada in a revolution, making Grenada the only socialist state within the Commonwealth. In Grenada, the revolution is referred to as the March 13th Revolution of 1979 or simply as “The Revolution”. The government suspended the constitution and ruled by decree until a factional conflict broke out, culminating in an invasion by the United States on 25 October 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law enforcement in Canada</span> Overview of law enforcement in Canada

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Saint Lucia Police Force</span> Law enforcement organization in Saint Lucia

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) is the agency responsible for law enforcement in Saint Lucia. It was founded in 1834.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Malaysia Police</span> National police force of Malaysia

The Royal Malaysia Police, is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation, and its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur. The police force is led by an Inspector-General of Police (IGP) who, as of 23 June 2023, is Razarudin Husain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monarchy of Grenada</span> Constitutional monarchy as a system of government in Grenada

The monarchy of Grenada is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Grenada. The current Grenadian monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III. As sovereign, he is the personal embodiment of the Grenadian Crown. Although the person of the sovereign is equally shared with 14 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each country's monarchy is separate and legally distinct. As a result, the current monarch is officially titled King of Grenada and, in this capacity, he and other members of the royal family undertake public and private functions domestically and abroad as representatives of Grenada. However, the King is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grenada</span> Country in the Caribbean

Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about 100 miles north of Trinidad and the South American mainland.

Fitzroy F. A. Bedeau is a politician and former police officer from the island of Grenada. From 1998 until 2005 he served as the commissioner of the Royal Grenada Police Force. In 2004, he dealt with the chaos that resulted from Hurricane Ivan hitting Grenada, which eventually resulted in at least 12 deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maharashtra Police</span> Law enforcement agency responsible for Maharashtra State

Maharashtra Police is the law enforcement agency responsible for the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is headed by Director General of Police, Mrs. Rashmi Shukla (IPS), and headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Revolutionary Army (Grenada)</span> Military loyal to the Peoples Revolutionary Government in Grenada

The People’s Revolutionary Army (PRA) was the military of Grenada between 1979 and 1983. The People's Revolutionary Militia served as its reserve force. The two, alongside the Grenada Police and the Coast Guard, were collectively termed as the People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (PRAF) from 1981.

The Mongoose Gang was a private army or militia which operated from 1967 to 1979 under the control of Sir Eric Gairy, the Premier and later Prime Minister of Grenada, and head of the Grenada United Labour Party. Officially, Mongoose Gang members were called Special Reserve Police (S.R.P.) or Volunteer Constables.

References

  1. "Royal Grenada Police Force". Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
  2. 1 2 3 "Overview". rgpf.gd. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  3. "Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) RGPF.HTML".
  4. https://www.mgovernance.net/rgpf/police-band
  5. "Government House". rgpf.gd. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  6. "Special Services Unit (SSU)". rgpf.gd. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
  7. "Vote Grenada 2008 - New National Party candidate: Fitzroy Bedeau". www.caribbeanelections.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-30. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
  8. "Eric Gairy : Biography". Archived from the original on 2013-10-09. Retrieved 2013-10-08.