- I'm Major Dave Hitchcock from Amherst, Nova Scotia,
a Military Police Officer with the Canadian Forces
National Investigation Service here in Ottawa, Ontario.
(narrator): Military Police Officers provide leadership and direction
to the military police,
and guidance to other leaders in the Forces
on issues that affect security, policing and detention services.
This includes managing military police patrols and investigations,
administering police operations,
and overseeing the execution of other security-related tasks.
(Hitchcock): It's a very unique role because we act as police officers,
as well as leaders in a police environment.
So while you may find yourself doing policing,
it's more likely you're doing leadership in policing,
which might be taking care of your subordinates,
making sure they have what they need to do the job,
be it equipment or training.
At the end of the day, my job is to control the speed,
flow and direction of our investigations.
(narrator): The Military Police handle everything from cybercrimes to dockside patrols,
from guarding Canada's diplomatic missions overseas
to providing assistance to their fellow Canadians in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
- One of the biggest difference of being a Military Police Officer,
as opposed to, say, a provincial police force officer,
is the opportunity to deploy overseas and do policing in theatre.
(narrator): On deployment, Military Police Officers provide oversight
to the planning and execution of security,
force protection, the handling of prisoners of war and detainees,
and ensure that discipline and the rule of law are maintained wherever they are located.
Military Police Officers also have the chance to undergo specialized training in security,
surveillance, close protection,
airfield ground defence, counter-intelligence,
and even major-crime investigations.
In addition to full-time work in the Regular Force,
there are also opportunities for Military Police Officers
in the Primary Reserve, serving part-time in their local community
while going to school or working at a civilian job.
- One of the unique things about being a Military Police Officer
is no two careers are ever the same.
- We figured that there's two subjects, and...
(Hitchcock): You could have multiple Military Police Officers in the same environment
and all of them could have a different background,
which is something that really appealed to me.
No two days are ever the same.
(narrator): After they complete their training,
new Military Police Officers may exercise leadership
within a military police detachment conducting day-to-day policing
and security activities on a base here in Canada,
be assigned to a field platoon preparing for the next Canadian Armed Forces deployment,
or work at different levels of Military Police headquarters.
This is the only police force where someone could be employed not just anywhere in Canada,
but anywhere in the world.
- In a civilian police force, you might start as a patrol officer
and slowly work your way up to a leadership position
where you might be running a detachment.
As a Military Police Officer, you get that experience right away once you're fully trained.
So you could be a Military Police Officer running a police detachment
within your first few years as a trained police officer.
The best advice I can give is to remain open-minded,
take advice from both your subordinates and your leaders.
Someone will always be there to lead you down the right path.
I always wanted to be a police officer since I was younger.
I went to university and then I was looking forward to a career in policing.
And really at the end of the day, it was the opportunity to be both a soldier
and a police officer at the same time
that made me join the Canadian Forces.