Colchester Landing National Police

Two officers of the Colchester Landing National Police force.

The Colchester Landing National Police (CLNP) comprises the sole law enforcement institution within the micro-state of Colchester Landing, and as such is responsible for the prevention, monitoring and control of all criminal action as well as the enforcement of law within state limits. It is comprised of some 500 serving officers, and has done much to keep the city predominantly free of open or excessive crime.

History

The history of the CLNP only stretches back some 114 years, to the organization’s founding in 1910 under Governor-General Olen Remmington. Prior to this, the streets of Colchester Landing were patrolled by the so-called Bellmen. These men were a sort of joint neighborhood watch and firefighting force. They patrolled the streets keeping watch for any fires, but also doubled as a means of maintaining public order and apprehending fugitives. While this somewhat simple system worked well enough for some 86 years, it was far from ideal, and there were often times, for example during particularly harsh fires, when the streets would be essentially devoid of patrols. As a result of this, many criminal gangs or groups would set fire to a building some way from their intended target and, once most of the Bellmen were occupied with putting out the flames, would break into shops or homes at their leisure. After a particularly egregious string of such robberies in the summer of 1862, a retired Bellman and farmer, Adam McTavish, sought to negate this trend through the establishment of an independent watch, which he called the Association for Public Safety. After having raised enough funds to supply salaries to the patrolmen, and having garnered a sizable number of volunteers, the Association was officially founded in 1863.

This new group would last until the official creation of a proper, and well-organized, police force in 1910, and operated much the same as did the Bellmen, only rather than ringing the so-named “firebells” upon witnessing a fire, the patrolmen blew whistles, alerting all surrounding patrolmen to come and aid them in the apprehension of offenders. Indeed, something of a code developed among the patrol officers, who were able to send messages via their whistles as to the direction, speed and number of fugitives. So successful was this whistled code, in fact, that it was until the advent of radio communication the favoured method among the later police service as well.

During the period of great prosperity which accompanied the governance of Governor-General Ollen Remmington, it was decided that the city, which had now grown to nearly its modern extent both in size and population, required a proper policing force. Therefore, Remmington had brought over from Praetonia several officers of law, who quickly developed the system by which the city is still policed to the day.

Organization

The Colchester Landing National Police’s organization was heavily based upon the existing system which had developed among the more informal Association for Public Safety. According to this old system, the city was patrolled by certain units at certain times and along certain patrol routes. These patrol routes generally corresponded with the borders of specific neighborhoods and all neighborhoods together were overseen by a District Sheriff. Taking inspiration from this, the modern CLNP is divided into several “departments” which correspond to the city’s various districts and are overseen by Police Commanders. Each department is then further subdivided into several divisions, which are overseen by Police Captains. In this way, a sort of hierarchy of command is created, where by the force as a whole is under the command of the Police Chief, below whom are several assistant chiefs, below whom are the various Commanders, who in turn oversee the various Captains.

Law enforcement is handled according to this chain of command and according to the concept of jurisdiction. A captain only has permission to oversee the area within his jurisdiction, that is, his division. Similarly, a commander only has control over his department. Communication between divisions and departments is common, and often a fugitive may find themselves trapped within a certain division, with the surrounding divisions being on high alert.

Officers do have the ability to enter other divisions or departments, if for example backup is required and they have been giving permission by the relevant commanding officer.

In times of emergency, such as a terrorist attack or natural disaster, all members of the CLNP are expected to defer to the higher command of the Colchester Defense Corps.

Controversy

During the years of the Hesperidesian Revolutions, the CLNP came under some scrutiny for their at times harsh treatment of the local Jafa people. The current Police Chief, as well as his predecessors, have held that such actions were necessary in order to maintain the security of the state, but many still see this period as a mark upon the otherwise clean history of the organization.

Until relatively late, the ranks of the CLNP were made up almost entirely by men and women of Praetonian descent. This changed after the repealment of the 1963 Immigration and Pass laws, which as well as controlling the movement of Jafa within city limits, also made it very difficult for any to attain a position in the force. The first Jafa officer, Officer Oluwafunmilayo ka Abimbola, was inducted into the ranks in 2002, and later became famous for having sacrificed his own life in order to protect a visiting Blackhelm delegate from a Jafa separatist attack in 2010.

In popular culture

Many “cop shows” have been made of the CLNP, particularly the long running and very popular “CLNP Journals,” which tells a fictionalized story of the Eastgate Department, particularly the protagonist Officer Striker, and its various dealings with organized crime. The figure of Officer Oluwafunmilayo ka Abimbola has also made a great impact in the popular culture, with both a movie being made about his life, Born a Hero, in 2016 and a statue being set up in front of the department where he worked shortly after his death. He is often seen as a figure of pride among the Jafa who work and live in the city, and it has been suggested to name him a national hero.