| Royal Falkland Islands Police | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the RFIP | |
 Flag of the Falkland Islands | |
| Abbreviation | RFIP |
| Motto | Integrity, Fairness and Respect. |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1846 |
| Employees | 26 in total 20 police officers A pool of reserve police officers 6 police staff[1] |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Falkland Islands |
 | |
| Map of Royal Falkland Islands Police's jurisdiction | |
| Size | 12,173 km2 (4,700 sq mi) |
| Population | 3,750 residents (approx), plus military garrison |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Stanley |
| Constables | 20 |
| Civilians | 6 |
| Agency executives |
|
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 1 |
| Website | |
| https://www.police.gov.fk/ | |
TheRoyal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP) is theterritorial police force responsible for law enforcement within theFalkland Islands.
The force was established on 1 November 1846 with the appointment of Francis Parry asChief Constable.[2]
The Constables Ordinance 1846, which had been enacted by the colony'sLegislative Council on 27 October of that year, created an organisation that has remained at the service of the public ever since.
It was initially staffed by three officers – the Chief Constable, the Gaoler (responsible for prisoners), and the Night Constable (responsible for policing during the night).[2]
Thepolice station, which has remained the headquarters building since it was completed in 1873, is situated centrally inStanley. The building, which has had several wooden extensions added over the years, was built of stone by the detachment ofRoyal Marines that were stationed in the colony at that time.
Today all serving police officers are based at Stanley police station or the military base. Historically local constables were based atFox Bay (by 1900), and theJason Islands (by 1920), with another atGrytviken in South Georgia (also by 1920) chiefly to prevent seal poaching.[2]
The police station took a direct hit from a British missile during theFalklands War on 11 June 1982 and was severely damaged.
The Falkland Islands Police Force was granted the "Royal" prefix byQueen Elizabeth II on 1 January 1992.[2]
The fabric of the building was repaired but after 135 years of continual service it was totally refurbished in 2008. This was completed in 2009 with the new jail being opened by thePrincess Royal on 24 March 2009.[3]
The current Chief Police Officer isSuperintendent Tom O'Brien.
Communication is based onVHF FM radio and is encrypted. It is monitored from a Joint Control Room (JCR) in Stanley. The use of a repeater greatly extends the range of coverage.
Codes of practice are published originating from the Criminal Justice Ordinance 1989. All equipment issued to officers and practices used to comply with Home Office andAssociation of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guidelines.
In common with British police practice, officers are not routinely armed.
Owing to the small size of the force, there are no permanent armed response units, although some officers are trained and certified asauthorised firearms officers.
The RFIP has a total staff of 26, including sworn warranted constables and support staff to support the JCR.[1]
The RFIP consists of:
There are also
The force uses the following standard British policing ranks:
| Rank | Superintendent (Chief of Police) | Inspector (Deputy Chief of Police) | Sergeant | Constable | Reserve constable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insignia |  |  |  |  | |
The RFIP is headed by a Chief Police Officer, who holds the rank of superintendent. The Chief Police Officer is assisted by a deputy chief officer who holds the rank of inspector.[1]
Uniformed community policing is carried out by a team of twelve police constables and a pool reserve constables, supervised by two police sergeants.[1]
The island's permanent CID was formed in 2018. Previously criminal detection was undertaken by uniformed police officers. The CID is staffed by two detective constables and one detective sergeant.[1]
Until November 2014, the RFIP also provided prison services on the Falkland Islands.
Since then, there has been a separate and independent prison service (HMPS), located adjacent to the police station.
Owing to the large military presence on the Falkland Islands there is always a contingent ofmilitary police – known asJoint Service Police & Security Unit (JSPSU), British Forces South Atlantic – stationed on the island.
As a matter of policy, all British military police officers from all three services assigned to the Falklands are also sworn in as RFIP reserve constables, so that they have full civil police powers during their tour of duty.[1]