- I'm Corporal Cameron Russell from Kapuskasing, Ontario,
a Military Police member currently posted
to 2 Military Police Regiment in Kingston, Ontario.
(narrator): Military Police are sworn to uphold the laws of Canada
and the code of service discipline.
They are dedicated to serving a global community
of Regular and Reserve Force members in the Canadian Armed Forces.
MPs provide around-the-clock policing,
security and detention services
to the military community in Canada
or wherever Canadian Armed Forces members are deployed around the world,
including areas of armed conflict and natural disaster.
- Military Police officers do almost all of the same things
that civilian police force officers do,
with the exception that we deal with military law as well.
So that's a facet that you don't see in the civilian world.
We also go on deployments
and then we do general duty patrolling in Canada.
(narrator): The Military Police handle everything from cybercrimes to dockside patrols.
Whether it's investigating intimate partner violence,
a theft on base, or securing and transporting prisoners of war or detainees,
MPs have a vital role to play.
- The things that you are involved in in a day just vary immensely.
You can go to a mental health call where someone is in distress and,
"I need someone to talk to," and have kind of an ear to listen.
Once that's done and go into a traffic stop
where you find drugs or there's some kind of seizure of evidence.
And then you can be pulled out of that and go into a crime scene.
(narrator): The occupation offers great opportunities for specialized postings.
MPs can become Aircraft Security Officers,
protecting Canadian Forces aircraft and personnel on operations,
as well as providing in-flight security to passengers travelling on Forces aircraft.
They can also work in close protection for VIPs,
provide security at one of Canada's overseas embassies,
support Army units in the field,
or work undercover in one of our specialized investigative units.
They can also become an instructor who trains police forces in other countries.
- I've been very fortunate in my career to be exposed to quite a bit
of different coursework. Myself, I'm currently a qualified breath technician,
I'm a Standard Field Sobriety Test administrator,
I'm also a drug recognition expert, and I'm also a first-aid instructor.
(narrator): Although they may be focused on field and detention operations
rather than performing policing duties,
there are also opportunities for Military Police members in the Primary Reserve,
serving part-time in their local community
while going to school or working in a civilian job.
(Russel): As a military police member, you get to deploy on active operations.
I was deployed in 2021 to Op Reassurance in Latvia.
I got to work with a multinational police force with Spanish military,
Latvian military, Italian military,
just in a multi-policing role.
So it's very interesting, it was very dynamic,
things change that I wouldn't do in my regular job
that I got to experience while I was over there.
(narrator): New Military Police members undergo extensive training
before their first posting.
On completion of their training,
Military Police personnel are posted to their first detachment
where they will work under the supervision of a senior patroller.
- You'll have a mentor officer who's going to help guide you
through the process of becoming a police officer
actively on the road and participating in police duties.
Once you've spent some time doing that,
you're going to see more and more opportunity come your way
as far as coursework and ability to specialize.
So after a little bit of time on the road,
you might get offered something like the ability to become a breath tech
and run impaired-operation investigations.
(narrator): Once they've completed their initial posting,
MP personnel are able to move on to more diverse and advanced training
such as close protection, Aircraft Security Officer,
or major-crime investigations.
- I've been very fortunate in my career to work with tons of great people,
employed in different roles, of course, all across the CAF,
but it's very much a team kind of environment,
and it's amazing to be part of that team.
And the friendships that I have from it, I know, are going to last for forever.