British Columbia. Superintendent of Police

Identity area

Type of entity

Government

Authorized form of name

British Columbia. Superintendent of Police

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

  • Superintendent of Police
  • British Columbia. Superintendent of Provincial Police

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

1858-1950

History

Prior to the establishment of the Province of British Columbia, policing in the Colony of British Columbia was the responsibility of the Chief Inspector of Police (1858-1863) or Superintendent of Police (1863-1871) and in the Colony of Vancouver Island by the Commissioner of Police (1858-1866).

In 1871, when the Colony of British Columbia joined confederation as a province of the Dominion of Canada, the police came under the authority of the Attorney-General. The reporting structure required the Superintendent of Police to report to the Attorney-General. Supervision of Police Constables throughout the province was divided between the government agent of the district and the Superintendent located at the Police Headquarters in Victoria.

The legal authority of the Superintendent of Police was not formally enshrined until the 1888 Police and Prisons Regulation Act (c.53, s.1). The position may have also been referred to as the Commissioner of Provincial Police.

The Superintendent acted as the Provincial Game Warden from 1918 to 1929 and was also the Inspector of gaols.

The British Columbia Provincial Police Force ceased to exist in 1950, when provincial policing was taken over by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Places

Legal status

Functions, occupations and activities

Mandates/sources of authority

Internal structures/genealogy

C Government Name

General context

Relationships area

Related entity

British Columbia. Provincial Police Force (1871-1950)

Identifier of related entity

289

Category of relationship

hierarchical

Type of relationship

British Columbia. Provincial Police Force

is controlled by

British Columbia. Superintendent of Police

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Access points area

Subject access points

Place access points

Occupations

Control area

Authority record identifier

38207

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

KHUGHES 2013-10-17
KHUGHES 2013-10-22
Revised: RMCRORY 2022-06-10

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Name taken from Annual report of the BC. Superintendent of Police, for year ending 31 Oct. 1897 published in the Sessional Papers.

Maintenance notes

Created by: khughes.

  • Clipboard

  • Export

  • EAC

Related subjects

Related places