Royal Military Police
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| Royal Military Police | |
|---|---|
 Ministry of Defence · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source | |
| Unit name | Royal Military Police |
| Dates | 1946–present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Type | Military police |
Royal Military Police is the corps responsible for policing and policing-related operations within the British Army, offering investigation, custody, traffic control and battlefield law enforcement. It operates alongside other United Kingdom services such as the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force while collaborating with civilian bodies like the Metropolitan Police Service, the National Crime Agency and international organizations such as NATO and the United Nations. The corps traces its lineage through antecedents in Crimean War logistics and nineteenth-century service policing, evolving into a modern military law-enforcement organisation involved in theatres from Second World War deployments to twenty‑first century operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
History
The roots of the corps lie in early service constabulary arrangements connected to the Crimean War and garrison discipline in the Victorian era, with formalisation seen in units such as the Corps of Military Police of the First World War and the Royal Military Police (post-1946) reconstitution after the Second World War. During the Interwar period and Second World War the organisation expanded into theatre policing in campaigns like the North African campaign, the Italian campaign, and the Western Front (1944) operations associated with the Normandy landings. Postwar responsibilities grew with commitments to NATO, the Suez Crisis, Cold War garrison duties in Germany, and later operations in Falklands War, Gulf War, Bosnian War, Kosovo War, Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). Institutional reforms paralleled broader defence reviews such as the Options for Change and the Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Organisation and Structure
The corps forms part of the Adjutant General's Corps framework for administration within the Ministry of Defence and the British Army chain of command, with battalion-sized units and provost companies aligned to divisions, brigades and overseas garrisons such as those in Germany, Cyprus, and the Falkland Islands. Senior leadership posts interact with the Chief of the General Staff, Chief of the Defence Staff and directorates within the Army Headquarters. Operational liaison occurs with civilian police forces like City of London Police, specialist units including the Special Air Service and Parachute Regiment, and multinational formations under NATO Allied Command Operations and the European Union Military Staff. The corps encompasses specialist wings for investigations, close protection, traffic, and detainee handling, and maintains provost headquarters, regimental companies, and reserve elements drawn from the Army Reserve.
Roles and Duties
Primary duties include investigation of serious and complex offences, custody and detention under military law, policing of garrison towns such as Aldershot and Catterick, traffic regulation on routes used by formations like those in Operation Granby, and battlefield circulation control during operations like Operation Overlord. The corps provides specialist capabilities for close protection of dignitaries including liaison with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and protective details linked to visits by Monarch of the United Kingdom or ministers. Investigation branches coordinate with the Crown Prosecution Service, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions of allied states, and international tribunals such as the International Criminal Court when applicable. Additionally, the corps supports humanitarian and stability tasks with partners including United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and NATO-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR).
Training and Recruitment
Recruitment routes include regular soldier entry and inducement from units across the British Army, with Reserve intake via the Army Reserve system and officer commissioning through institutions such as the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Initial policing training occurs at corps training centres allied to establishments like the Army Training Centre Pirbright and specialist investigator courses are delivered in conjunction with civilian colleges and agencies such as the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs' Council. Continued professional development includes legal instruction referencing the Armed Forces Act and international humanitarian law instruments like the Geneva Conventions, as well as tactical training with formations including the Household Division and Royal Logistic Corps for convoy and detainee operations.
Equipment and Uniforms
Standard equipment aligns with British Army issue including small arms such as the L85A2 rifle and personal protective equipment used by units in theatres like Helmand Province. Vehicles include marked and unmarked patrol vehicles, armoured personnel carriers shared with units such as the Royal Armoured Corps, and traffic control assets for deployments similar to Operation Banner. Uniforms follow service dress conventions with distinctive embellishments derived from historical provost attire used in garrison policing in Aldershot Garrison and ceremonial wear worn alongside units like the Household Cavalry at state occasions.
Insignia and Traditions
Insignia incorporate symbols reflecting service heritage and royal patronage, worn alongside badges associated with formations like the Adjutant General's Corps and rank insignia comparable to other corps. Traditions include ceremonial duties at events involving the Monarch of the United Kingdom, links with regimental days connected to battles such as the Battle of Waterloo via broader army commemoration, and memorialisation at monuments and cemeteries maintained by organisations like the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Colours, cap badges and ceremonial appointments are influenced by historical antecedents from Corps of Military Police predecessor units and connections to senior figures such as former Chiefs of the General Staff.
Notable Operations and Deployments
Notable operations include policing and investigative roles during the Second World War campaigns in North Africa and Italy, Cold War garrison duties in British Army of the Rhine, contributions to Operation Granby in the Gulf War, peacekeeping and policing in Bosnia and Herzegovina under UNPROFOR and SFOR, counterinsurgency and detainee operations during the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), and sustained presence on the Falkland Islands after the Falklands War. The corps has also provided specialist support to multinational efforts such as Operation Herrick and Operation Telic, and to domestic security arrangements in partnership with forces including the Metropolitan Police Service and Police Service of Northern Ireland during periods of national activity.