Ontario Provincial Police
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OPPatNightInAuroraON.png
An OPP scout car showing reflective decals as it passes on night patrol.
The Ontario Provincial Police, also known as the OPP, is the province of Ontario's police force. The organization is responsible for providing police service to areas in the province that do not otherwise have municipal or regional police services. Therefore, they are mainly present in small rural and suburban localities, on the provincial highways, or in the northern part of the province. They also have a mandate to investigate province-wide crimes. The OPP was originally founded in 1909 with 45 men to bring peace and order to the province's northern regions where mines and logging camps were experiencing delinquency. The organization was rendered permanent when constables became necessary in Ontario's small towns. The first OPP detachment was in Bala.
The OPP Headquarters are located in Orillia, Ontario. Recruits attend the Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ontario and then complete their training at OPP facilities in Orillia.
The OPP is the largest police force in Ontario and the second largest in Canada. The force employs roughly 5300 officers, which is more than both the Toronto and the Ottawa city police services. In Canada, only the RCMP outnumbers the OPP in manpower.
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; Superintendant; Chief Superintendant; and Commissioner. The current OPP commissioner is Gwen M. Boniface.
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.
See also
External link
- Ontario Provincial Police Website (http://www.gov.on.ca/opp/welcome/english/)