Dominion Police
The Dominion Police, although the federal police of Canada, was mainly active in the Eastern Canada region, while the Royal Northwest Mounted Police handled the expansive and sparsely populated Northwest Territories of Western Canada. In May 1918, the 969-member Dominion Police was reassigned under the Department of Militia and Defence and became a civilian wing of the Canadian Military Police Corps (CMPC). In the early 1900s, the Royal Northwest Mounted Police had declined as the Northwest Territories was divided into new provinces and territories, and due to the general unpopularity of the force for conduct during industrial disputes such as the Winnipeg General Strike. On 1 February 1920, the civilian members of the CMPC, including the Dominion Police, were merged with the Royal Northwest Mounted Police to form the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as the new federal police force of Canada, and the CMPC was disbanded on 1 December 1920.
Battle honour
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, although a civilian police force, was awarded the status of a dragoon regiment by King George V following the service of many of its members during the First World War. As a consequence, it then became entitled to display the many honours it had won dating back to 1885:
In addition, the RCMP received the honorary distinction of the badge of the Canadian Provost Corps, in recognition of the fact that the first Canadian military police unit was formed from volunteers from the RCMP.