The British Columbia Provincial Police (BCPP) was the provincial police service of British Columbia, Canada, between 1858 and 1950. One of the first law enforcement agencies in North America, the British Columbia Provincial Police was formed to police the new Colony of British Columbia in 1858, with Chartres Brew as the de facto Chief Constable. The BCPP preceded the Canadian Confederation by nine years, the North-West Mounted Police by fifteen years, and the Ontario Provincial Police by seventeen years. Brew, a former member of the Royal Irish Constabulary and officially British Columbia's Chief Gold Commissioner, was vested with the powers of a magistrate to maintain state security against possible rebellion by American migrants who came to British Columbia for its gold rush and the acco