History of the Ontario Provincial Police

The evolution of the Ontario Provincial Police begins with the First Parliament of Upper Canada on September 17th, 1792, at Niagara-on-the-Lake when provision was made for the formation of a "police system". From these humble beginnings, the O.P.P.'s growth has paralleled the development of our province.

Initially, policing jurisdictions were limited to districts, townships, and parishes. In 1877, ten years following Confederation, the "Constables' Act" extended jurisdiction giving designated police members authorization to act throughout the province. The first salaried "Provincial Constable" appointed to act as "Detective for the Government of Ontario" was John Wilson Murray.

With the discovery of gold and silver in Northern Ontario, lawlessness increased. Consequently, on October 13th, 1909, an Order-In-Council decreed the establishment of a permanent organization of salaried constables designated as "The Ontario Provincial Police". It consisted of 45 men under the direction of Superintendent Joseph E. Roger. The starting salary for constables was $400.00 per annum.

In 1921, developmental restructuring was undertaken. The title of the commanding officer was changed to Commissioner. Major General Henry M. Cawthra-Elliot was appointed as the first Commissioner. Since then, the O.P.P has gone through eleven leadership changes. Gwen M. Boniface, the current Commissioner, took office on 28 May 1998.

Each Commissioner has made a unique impact on O.P.P. development, highlights include:

February 1929, when the Ontario Provincial Police Training School was opened. Now centred in Orillia, the Provincial Police Academy is considered one of the leading police training centres in the world.
O.P.P. motorcycles were introduced in 1930 and the first patrol car in 1944. Today we have over two thousand mobile units including watercraft, snow vehicles, helicopters and airplanes.
The first O.P.P. radio system was introduced in 1947. At that time, it was considered to be the largest, most modern police communication system of it's kind anywhere. A new and sophisticated replacement network is currently in place and continually undergoes changes as new technology is developed.
World War II gave rise to the "Veterans Guard", a body of volunteers (primarily World War I veterans), who under the supervision of regular police members, protected vulnerable hydro-electric plants and the Welland ship canal. This was the forerunner of today's O.P.P. Auxiliary.
1957 saw the first official use of scuba equipment for underwater search and recovery.
Women joined the uniform ranks in 1974 as constables.
In 1985, the O.P.P. uniform was made more distinctive with the introduction of a blue trouser stripe to match a blue peak cap band. As a point of interest, stetson hats and khaki summer uniforms were the issue of the day in the early 1920's.
In 1995, General Headquarters moved into its new facility in Orillia and for the first time in the history of the organization, all units were in one building.
On 28 May 1998, Gwen M. Boniface was sworn-in as the first female OPP Commissioner.

More than 5,900 uniformed members and civilian support staff supply a full policing service over a one million (384,000 square miles) kilometres area, throughout the Province of Ontario. These police services range from traffic control to the investigation of any crime.