The Adjutant General's Corps (Provost)
The Provost Branch is a branch of the AGC employing both officers and
soldiers. AGC(Pro) personnel police the British Army in many varied
locations throughout the world. The AGC(Pro) consists of two
subsections, the Royal Military Police (RMP) and the Military Provost
Staff (MPS). Males and females in the AGC(Pro) are employed on an
equal basis. Members of the RMP are first trained as soldiers and then
specialise as Military Police. RMP officers complete the same military
training as their counterparts in other Arms and Services, starting at the
Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
The role of RMP is: "To provide military police support that the Army requires, meeting Operational demands and legal obligations." In short the RMP must police the Army within the law and in such a way that they can meet the needs of the Army in wartime. Implicit in this role are four main functions:
to provide operational support;
to prevent crime;
to enforce the law and assist with the maintenance of discipline;
to provide a 24-hour response service of assistance, advice and information.
The first function of RMP is to provide operational support to the field Army deployed on operations in any nature of conflict where violence has either manifested or is threatened, or where fighting has broken out. Although the characteristics of a given conflict or war will usually determine the military activity within it, RMP will always be present in any military formation and are tasked with regulating the flow of personnel and logistics. They also assist commanders in the prevention of crime and law enforcement and provide assistance, advice and information to the military and civil communities.
RMP play a prominent part in advising and
assisting commanders and staffs with the
production of operational movement plans.
RMP Traffic Posts (TPs) deployed along
military route networks provide a constant
flow of traffic information on the progress of
deployment of front line troops and the
flow of logistic resupply. The TPs are able to regulate the traffic on the
routes and to ensure that the fighting troops and supplies reach their
positions at the right time and in the right order. The TPs provide route
reconnaissance, signing and surveillance, and control stragglers,
refugees and other non-combatants, preventing them from clogging the
routes.
RMP are a highly mobile, highly employable force, with a vehicle to
person ratio of 1:3, each vehicle being equipped with radio. They are
ideally placed to assist with the security of rear areas and lines of
communication by reconnaissance and surveillance, reconnoitring,
monitoring, marking and reporting nuclear, biological and chemical
contamination, reporting and controlling incidents and escorting high
value convoys.
The military police provide round-the-clock protection of persons, military
and non-military, who are considered to be at high risk. They provide
commanders with a rapid investigation and management capability for
serious incidents; defensive search; video and photographic teams;
incident control teams and personnel with detailed local knowledge, and
are able to advise and assist with the handling of enemy prisoners of
war.
Crime prevention is a priority responsibility for any commander and
police force. In an area of post-conflict activity the prevention of crime
such as looting or black marketeering is a vital factor in returning
stability to the community. In military garrisons, RMP prevent crime by
advising and assisting in the maintenance of physical security. They
carry out thousands of hours of high profile patrolling by vehicle or on
foot, often with dogs, to deter and reduce opportunities for crime and
terrorism. RMP specialists trained on Home Office courses provide
commanders, staffs and the community with advice and assistance in
preventing crime. Lectures and presentations to schools, clubs, units
and other audiences on drug abuse, personal security, property security
and any other aspect of crime which may be prevalent are also part of
the daily routine. Small RMP teams working in conjunction with military
and public media produce film clips, videos and other material to warn
and inform against the threat of crime.
Law enforcement is a command responsibility in conflict or war. This is
particularly important at a time of post-conflict, where there is a need to
quickly re-establish a form of law and order. In the early days of
post-conflict, or in peace support operations where military assistance is
provided to belligerent parties, RMP may be the only trained law
enforcement organisation in the theatre and consequentially will play a
vital role in the rehabilitation or restoration of civil authority. There may
also be a need for the investigation of alleged war crimes. The continuing
law enforcement within the military community and assistance to
commanders with the maintenance of discipline, is provided by RMP
conducting criminal investigations and providing the evidence to
exonerate or report persons subject to the Service Discipline Acts. They
carry out these tasks by investigating complaints and claims made
against HM Forces and providing a courts liaison service, by
investigating serious non-criminal incidents affecting military persons or
military interests, by providing information and advice on police and
disciplinary matters and by assisting and supporting other law
enforcement, security and intelligence agencies.
The Army has its own fully professional detective force within the Royal
Military Police to deal with criminal or sensitive investigations. It is called
the Special Investigation Branch and is generally known by the initial
letters of its title - the SIB.
Officers serving with the SIB must be capable of filling any appointment
and so will probably move in and out of the SIB as his or her career
progresses. RMP NCOs on the other hand may elect to be attached to
the Special Investigation Branch as a Corporal for up to 6 months.
If he or she does well on this attachment and is successful on the
Specialist Investigation Course, they will be eligible for transfer to the
SIB. Those who do so can look forward to a full career in the SIB with
the possibility of commissioning and achieving the rank of Lieutenant
Colonel.
Close Protection
Close protection (CP) duties require dedicated officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) for this difficult aspect of police work. Wherever there have been people at risk, there have been bodyguards. For over 50 years members of RMP have been protecting people at risk - from British Ambassadors abroad to suspects in a court case.
Methods of protection vary from a single NCO with a pistol to a full protection team with armoured cars and automatic support weapons.
Opportunities also exist to fill additional appointments in the above ranks in other Branches of the AGC and the Army as a whole.
In summary, by ensuring the Army is provided with provost support to the highest standard, the AGC(Pro) {(RMP) & (MPS)} allows commanders and soldiers to devote their time and energies to the task in hand, without being distracted by discipline worries. Good provost support leads to high morale which, in turn, is a key element to success.
A Military Policeman patrols Hong Kong with a Royal Navy Shore Patrol.
Regimental march - "The Watchtower".
