The Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) is the provincial police force for the province of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in small rural and suburban areas, outside the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). In essence, it is responsible for policing villages, towns, and cities that do not have their own municipal police service. It also has a mandate to investigate province-wide crimes. Within in the GTA, or what the O.P.P. calls the Greater Toronto Region, it is responsible for highway safety along the 400-Series Highways and other roadways. The OPP is the largest police force in Ontario and the second largest in Canada.
History
At the First Parliament of Upper Canada on September 17, 1792, at Niagara-on-the-Lake, provision was made for the formation of a 'police system'. Initially, policing jurisdictions were limited to districts, townships, and parishes. In 1877, ten years after Confederation, the Constables' Act extended jurisdiction and gave designated police members authorization to act throughout the province. The first salaried Provincial Constable appointed to act as Detective for the Government of Ontario was John Wilson Murray.
With the discovery of gold and silver in Northern Ontario, lawlessness increased. Consequently, on October 13, 1909, an Order-In-Council decreed the establishment of a permanent organization of salaried constables designated as The Ontario Provincial Police. It consisted of 45 men under the direction of Superintendent Joseph E. Roger. The starting salary for constables was $400.00 per annum. The first O.P.P. detachment was located in Bala, Ontario.
In 1921, restructuring was undertaken. The title of the commanding officer was changed to Commissioner. Major-General Henry M. Cawthra-Elliot was appointed as the first Commissioner. Gwen M. Boniface, the current O.P.P. Commissioner, took office in May 1998, succeeding Thomas O'Grady.
Motorcycles were introduced in 1930 and the first patrol car in 1944.
During World War II, the Veterans Guard was formed. This was a body of volunteers (primarily World War I veterans), who, under the supervision of regular police members, protected vulnerable hydro-electric plants and the Welland Ship Canal.
Women joined the uniform ranks in 1974.
In 1985, the O.P.P. uniform was made more distinctive with the introduction of a blue trouser stripe to match a blue peak cap band.
In 1995, General Headquarters moved into its new facility in Orillia and for the first time in the history of the organization, all Bureaus were in one building.
Organization
Today the province is divided into six O.P.P. regions (Central, Greater Toronto, East, North-East, North-West and West), responsible for providing policing services over 993,000 sq. km of land and 174,000 sq. km of water to a population of 2.3 million people (3.6 million in the summer months). Currently, the O.P.P. has over 5,300 uniformed and 2,300 civilian personnel. The vehicle fleet consists of 2,290 vehicles, 114 marine vessels, 286 snow and all-terrain vehicles, and 2 helicopters and aircraft.
The OPP Headquarters are located at 777 Memorial Avenue in Orillia. Recruits attend the Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ontario and then complete their training at OPP facilities in Orillia. OPP HQ moved from the Lakeshore Boulevard West and Bay Street site in Toronto, Ontario in 1995.
Like many Canadian police forces, it is a quasi-military organization. The ranks of the OPP are as follows: Provincial Constable; Sergeant; Staff Sergeant; Sergeant Major; Inspector; Superintendent; Chief Superintendent; and Commissioner.
An OPP cruiser showing reflective decals as it passes on night patrol.
The OPP has among its many initiatives an auxiliary program designed especially for citizens interested in getting first-hand experience in the organization. It is a volunteer program where selected citizens receive special training in order to assist provincial constables in their duty. It also serves as a stepping stone for potential future employment with the OPP. The O.P.P. Auxiliary has 830 volunteers and is the largest police auxiliary unit in Canada.
OPP police stations are referred to as Detachments.
Only three provinces in Canada, including Ontario, have their own police forces: Newfoundland and Labrador (Royal Newfoundland Constabulary) and Quebec (Sûreté du Québec) are the others.
Beatles folklore
The 1967 Beatles Album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, contains cover art with Paul McCartney donning an OPP badge on his fictional uniform. The badge was given to him to wear by a Canadian fan. The fan was backstage at the Beatles concert at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1966.
Naughty By Nature
In the 1991 a song called O.P.P. was released by hip-hop group Naughty By Nature, this song used the line, "you down with O.P.P.?" Followed by the crowd's chant of, "yeah, you know me!" This song did not refer, as some people believe, to the police of Ontario, but rather to the more vulgar, "other people's pussy."
External link
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_Provincial_Police under GFDL
