Provincial policing

The Provincial Police Service Agreement between the province and Canada makes the RCMP British Columbia’s provincial police force.

The RCMP in B.C. is called E-Division. It has two main responsibilities:

• Detachment policing
• The provincial police infrastructure

Detachment Policing

Detachment policing serves municipalities with populations fewer than 5,000 and unincorporated areas. It includes:

• Uniformed patrols
• Response-to-call duties
• Investigative services
• Community-based policing
• Traffic enforcement
• Administrative support to provincial detachments

Policing Infrastructure

E-Division maintains the province’s policing infrastructure, which includes:

• Capital-intensive services such as aircraft and marine vessels
• Specialized units that provide major criminal investigative support
• Targeting major or serious crimes, organized crime, and serial and unsolved homicides
• Providing support services such as human or technological surveillance

This infrastructure provides centralized, specialized police services to the entire province.

The Police Tax and Funding Police Services in Small Communities

Municipalities with populations under 5,000 and unincorporated areas pay for some police services through the Police Tax.

For information on the Police Tax, see:

• A New Police Financing Model in Small Communities and Rural Areas (April 2006)
• Adjustments to the New Police Financing Model in Small Communities and Rural Areas (November 2006)
• Response to Regional Consultations on Police Financing in B.C.) (September 2003)
• Restructuring Police Financing in Municipalities Under 5,000 Population and Unincorporated Areas (2002)