List of law enforcement agencies in British Columbia

The following is a list of law enforcement agencies operating in the province of British Columbia, Canada.

Municipal police

*Abbotsford Police Department Formed as the Matsqui Police Department in 1955, the department was renamed in 1995 following the amalgamation of Matsqui and Abbotsford into the City of Abbotsford. The strength of the force in 2005 was 201. [ [http://www.abbotsfordpolice.org/ Abbotsford Police Department] official website. Retrieved 24 April 2007. ]
*Central Saanich Police Service (CSPS) Established in 1951, the CSPS has gone from one member to a strength of 27 in 2007, including one detective. Its headquarters are in Saanichton neighbourhood of the Central Saanich district municipality in Greater Victoria. [ [http://www.cspolice.ca/ Central Saanich Police Service] official website. Retrieved 24 April 2007.]
*Delta Police Department
*Nelson Police Department
*New Westminster Police Service
*Oak Bay Police Department
*Port Moody Police Department
*Saanich Police Department
*Vancouver Police Department
*Victoria Police Department
*West Vancouver Police Department

Regional Taskforces

*Municipal Integrated Emergency Response Team
*Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit BC (CFSEU-BC)
** Integrated Illegal Gaming Enforcement Team
** Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crimes Team (IMPACT)
** Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams
* Violence Suppression Team

Provincial agencies

*Conservation Officer Service (COS) Part of the Compliance Division of the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment, the Conservation Officer Service is responsible for enforcing over 20 federal and provincial environmental statutes and for responding to wildlife/human conflicts where public safety is at risk. Its headquarters are in Victoria and it has 44 offices throughout the province. It consists of Commercial Environmental Investigations Unit, the Special Investigations Unit, and the Ceremonial Unit. The COS has a strength of 120 regional conservation officers, excluding headquarter staff. [ [http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/ Conservation Officer Service] official website. Retrieved 24 April 2007.]

*British Columbia Sheriff Services (BCSS) Tracing its roots to the first sheriff appointed by Governor James Douglas for the Colony of Vancouver Island, the modern BCSS was formed after a consolidation of county sheriffs by the NDP government in 1974, and placed under the Ministry of the Attorney General. BCSS responsibilities include transporting prisoners by ground and air, providing security for all Supreme,Appeals, Provincial Courts in B.C., assembling and supervising protecting juries, serving court documents, executing warrants, planning and undertaking High Security Operations for large scale trials such as Air India, protecting Federal and Provincial Judiciary, Crown Prosecutors and assisting the Provincial Coroners Office, carrying out court orders.Basic training is undertaken at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. [ [http://www.bcsheriffs.com/history.asp Sheriffs of British Columbia] , unofficial website. Retrieved 24 April 2007.]

Federal police

*RCMP "E" Division – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is the largest police body operating in British Columbia, providing federal, provincial, and municipal policing throughout the province. “E” Division has a strength of 5,900 sworn members and employs 1,700 civilian members and public service employees. In addition, approximately 1,200 auxiliary constables volunteer with “E” Division. It is the largest RCMP division, and along with “M” Division in the Yukon, makes up the Pacific Region, one of the four geographical regions of Canada under the RCMP’s policing scheme. “E” Division operates out of 127 local detachments with its headquarters at 657 West 37th Avenue in Vancouver. It polices all but 12 municipalities in the province and its Commanding Officer is Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass. [ [http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/bc/index_e.htm RCMP in BC] , official website of RCMP “E” Division. Retrieved 24 April 2007. ]

=Aboriginal police=

*Kitasoo Xaixais Police Service
*Stl'atl'imx Tribal Police (STP) – The STP was created in 1992. It operated as a pilot project for the next several years, with its officers sworn in as special constables. In 1999, it became a fully empowered police agency responsible for ten participating Stl'atl'imx communities. It operates out of the Lillooet Detachment and the Mount Currie Detachment. [ [http://www.lss.sd74.bc.ca/stp/ Stl'atl'imx Tribal Police] official website. Retrieved 24 April 2007. ]

Railroad police

*CN Police
*Canadian Pacific Railway Police Service (CPRPS)

Transit police

*South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service (SCBCTAPS) – Created in 2005 to police the TransLink transit system, the SCBCTAPS is the only transit police agency in Canada with full police powers.

Historic Agencies

*British Columbia Provincial Police (BCPP) This was the provincial police force of BC from 1871 until 1950, when it was absorbed into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

*Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia (OCABC) Established as an independent law enforcement agency in 1999, the mandate of the OCABC is to “facilitate the disruption and suppression of organized crime.” [ [http://www.ocabc.org/ OCABC] official website]

=See also=
*Policing in Canada
*List of law enforcement agencies in Canada
*Aboriginal Police in Canada
*List of emergency organizations in British Columbia

References

External links

* [http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/police_services/forces/index.htm British Columbia Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General]
* [http://policeinternational.com/display_links.php?cat_id=0&sub_cat_id=2&language=English British Columbia] , Police International.com