It now serves as a police museum, with the original jail bars, much police memorabilia and a pair of signs dealing with the history of both the British Columbia Provincial Police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Northwest Mounted
Police (NWMP)
The Northwest Mounted Police
(NWMP), were formed under Sir John A. Macdonald in the spring of 1874 in order to police territories in the North West. They established relations with the First Nations, contained the whiskey trade, negotiated treaties between First Nations and the government and assisted settlement of the West. By 1903 their jurisdiction was extended to the Yukon and the Arctic Coast. In 1904 the word 'Royal' was attached to their name and they became the Royal Northwest Mounted Police (RNWMP). By the end of the First World War they were in charge of all federal policing matters in the Western Provinces and in 1920 they became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) with federal jurisdiction in all provinces and territories.
Over the next 30 years provincial policing duties were taken on by the RCMP in all provinces with British Columbia being the last to be absorbed in 1950. Members of the RCMP are commonly known as 'Mounties' and they wear distinctive uniforms of scarlet and gold. Technically the RCMP is only responsible for federal policing with the provinces responsible for law and order but eight of the ten provinces and most municipalities have chosen to contract all policing to them. As a result they are responsible for a wide berth of duties across the country. Worldwide 'Mounties' have become a symbol of Canadian culture appearing in magazines, books and films. On the other hand, they have also been the subject of comedic laughter as well. Either way, the force has effectively provided law and order, albeit sometimes amid controversy, across this large country for over 100 years.