Police service of Montserrat
The Royal Montserrat Police Service is the police service of the British Overseas Territory island of Montserrat in the Caribbean.
As of May 2024, the Commissioner of Police is Mark Payne QPM MBA, a career police officer of West Midlands Police in England. Mark retired from West Midlands Police in March 2024, where he served as Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of West Midlands Regional Counter Terrorism Unit.
History.
The Police Force of Montserrat was a division of the Leeward Islands Police Force, which served Antigua, St Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat and the British Virgin Islands, with headquarters in Antigua. The Leeward Islands Colony was dissolved in 1959 and the Montserrat Police Force became a division of the Antigua, Montserrat, and British Virgin Islands Police Force. The Royal Title was bestowed on the force in 1966, and The Royal Montserrat Police Service became autonomous on 27 February 1967.
Between the years 1967 and 2007, there was one Chief of Police and ten Commissioners of Police from countries such as United Kingdom, Guyana, St Kitts-Nevis and even native islanders.
The police service also ran a football team that played in the Montserrat Championship, the top level of football on the island. They were the most successful club winning the league four times.
The RMPS celebrated its 50th anniversary in February 2017, having been disbanded from the Leeward Islands Police Force in 1967.
Structure and Duties.
The RMPS is a civilian, local police force and has authority to uphold the King's peace throughout the territory. The RMPS website states that their duty is:
Departments/Units.
The RMPS is divided into five main departments, each with a specific function.
These are:
Rank structure.
The management rank structure of the RMPS follows that of most UK and British Overseas Territories.
The Commissioner (head of the service) is assisted by a Deputy Commissioner of Police and Superintendent of Operations.
Special Constables.
The RMPS employs special constables to assist regular constables, or to act as specialists and support regulars on 'Special Duty Police Assignments', if necessary.
Uniforms and Equipment.
The RMPS employs a variety of staff &amp; constables and each have different types of uniform and equipment, to perform their duties effectively.
Uniform.
RMPS uniform is typical of British &amp; Caribbean police forces' uniforms, with several different types for different duties, ranks and seasons. It is modelled on other UK and British Overseas Territories police uniforms.
Formal Uniform.
The formal uniform is for ceremonial and important occasions, such as Remembrance Days, VE Day celebrations, Royal events, etc.
It consists of:
"Blues".
This is similar to the British Army's No. 2/service dress uniform.
"Whites".
This uniform is similar to the British Army's No. 3 (Tropical) Dress, which is the most formal.
"Undress" Uniform.
The undress uniform is the uniform that is worn by police officers for non-formal and non-arduous work, such as everyday work, travelling, patrolling, attending meetings etc. It is similar to the British Army's No. 6 (Warm Weather) Barrack Dress and is 'stone' coloured.
It consists of:
Operational Uniform.
The operational uniform for officers is either the "Undress" uniform (see above) (with additional equipment, e.g. yellow traffic vest) or a similar uniform, but with a white shirt and black trousers, rather than stone coloured shirt/trousers.
Police Equipment.
The RMPS uses a variety of equipment, such as radios, handcuffs and yellow traffic vests.
The staple British police whistle-on-chain is worn on the chest/left pocket area of most uniforms.
Firearms.
The RMPS are generally unarmed, but for some formal parades some weapons are carried, such as:
References.
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