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Military Police

Non-Commissioned Member | Full Time, Part Time

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    • Overview

    As a member of the military, Military Police enforce laws and regulations on Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) establishments in Canada and abroad. They serve the entire CAF community, including Regular and Reserve Force members, civilian employees, cadets, and family members.

    The primary responsibilities of the Military Police are to:

    • Support CAF missions by providing policing and operational support
    • Investigate and report incidents involving military or criminal offenses
    • Develop and apply crime prevention measures to protect military communities against criminal acts
    • Coordinate tasks related to persons held in custody (including military detainees and prisoners of war)
    • Provide security at selected Canadian embassies around the world
    • Provide service to the community through conflict mediation, negotiation, dispute resolution, public relations and victim assistance
    • Perform other policing duties, such as traffic control, traffic-accident investigation, emergency response, and liaison with Canadian, allied and other foreign police forces

    Work environment

    All Canadian citizens are entitled to the same rights, privileges and protection under Canadian law, and Military Police are qualified to provide these services to the same standard as every other Canadian police service. Military Police routinely work within the civilian criminal and military justice systems, and are recognized as peace officers in the Criminal Code of Canada. With over 1,250 full-time members, they form one of the largest police forces in Canada.

    Military Police provide around-the-clock service to the military community in Canada or around the world, including areas of armed conflict or natural disaster. Most Military Police members work outdoors, on foot or in a vehicle, or in an office setting to take statements or complete documentation.

    If you chose a career in the Regular Force, upon completion of all required training, you will be assigned to your first base. While there is some flexibility with regards to postings (relocations), accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore, you can likely expect to move at some point in your career. However, if you decide to join the Primary Reserve Force, you will do so through a specific Reserve unit. Outside of training, your chosen Reserve unit will be your workplace on a part time basis, and you will not be obligated to relocate to a different base. As part of the Primary Reserve Force, you typically work one night per week and some weekends as a minimum with possibilities of full-time employment.

    Career Overview

    Transcript

    Canadian Armed Forces Recruiting Videos

     

    MILITARY POLICE


     

    Reviewed – 31 Mar 23


     

    CORPORAL CAMERON RUSSELL: 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. 

     

    CORPORAL CAMERON RUSSELL: 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 cyber-crimes 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. 

     

    CORPORAL CAMERON RUSSELL: 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.

     

    CORPORAL CAMERON RUSSELL: 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. 



     

    CORPORAL CAMERON RUSSELL: 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. 

     

    CORPORAL CAMERON RUSSELL: 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. 


     


     


    CORPORAL CAMERON RUSSELL: 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.

     

    Related Civilian Occupations

    • Royal Canadian Mounted Police
    • Provincial or Regional police force members
    • Federal law enforcement agents (customs, immigration or fisheries)

    Training

    The first stage of training is the Basic Military Qualification course, or Basic Training, held at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint- Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. This training provides the basic core skills and knowledge common to all trades. A goal of this course is to ensure that all recruits maintain the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) physical fitness standard; as a result, the training is physically demanding.

    Learn more about Basic Training here.

    Military Police attend the Military Police Academy in Borden, Ontario. Over a six-month period, they will learn the basics of Canadian civilian and military law, investigative techniques, and acquire skills necessary to perform daily Military Police functions.

    Military Police may be offered the opportunity to develop specialized skills through formal courses and on-the-job training, including:

     

    • Criminal Identification Specialist
    • Polygraph examiner
    • Major crime investigator
    • Crime scene manager
    • Major case management
    • Drug investigator
    • Aircraft security specialist
    • Sexual assault and fraud investigations
    • Clandestine lab investigator
    • Homicide investigator
    • Evasive anti-terror driving
    • Strategic intelligence analysis
    • Cybercrime investigative technique

    As they progress in their career, Military Police who demonstrate the required ability and potential will be offered advanced training. Available courses include:

    • Interview techniques
    • Information security investigation specialist
    • Criminal investigator
    • Counter-human intelligence specialist
    • Surveillance operator
    • Officer safety instructor
    • Senior police administration
    • Use-of-force instructor

    Entry plans

    The minimum required education to apply for this position is graduation from an approved program at a post-secondary institution. For a list of approved programs, please contact your local recruiter.

    Following the initial screening, eligible candidates will complete career orientation and aptitude assessment at a Military Police Assessment Centre to ensure that you have a realistic view of the Military Police occupation and the potential to succeed.

    A valid provincial driver’s licence is also required.

    The ideal candidate will already have a college diploma in Law and Security Administration, Police Foundations or similar program from a recognised Canadian community college, the CAF will decide if your academic program matches the training criteria for this job and may place you directly into the required on-the-job training program following basic training.

    Foreign education may be accepted.

    Part time options

    This position is available for part-time employment with the Primary Reserve at certain locations across Canada. Reserve Force members usually serve part time with a military unit in their community, and may serve while going to school or working at a civilian job. They are paid during their training. They are not posted or required to do a military move. However, they can volunteer to move to another base. They may also volunteer for deployment on a military mission within or outside Canada.

    Military Police members may serve with the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army or the Royal Canadian Air Force. They are employed in enforcing laws and regulations at CAF establishments. When they are employed on a part-time or casual full- time basis they usually serve with a Military Police Group at a location within Canada.

    Find a Recruiting Centre

    Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. They usually begin training with their home unit to ensure that they meet the required basic professional military standards. Following basic military training, the home unit will arrange for specialized skills training. Military Police members complete their qualification at the Military Police Academy in Borden, Ontario over a six-month period.

    Reserve Force members usually serve part-time with their home unit for scheduled evenings and weekends, although they may also serve in full-time positions at some units for fixed terms, depending on the type of work that they do. They are paid 92.8% of Regular Force rates of pay, receive a reasonable benefits package and may qualify to contribute to a pension plan.