A couple of former Winnipeg police officers are trying to raise awareness about Manitoba’s former Provincial Police Force.
The force was formed in 1870 served for 61 years, from 1871 to 1932.
Retired Sergeants Jack Templeman and John Burchill have come together to co-author a new book called Pioneer Policeman about the Manitoba Provincial Police (MPP), expected to be released in the next year or so.
“We are wanting people to remember that there was a provincial police force here,” Templeman said.
“Every province had a provincial police and there’s books on other departments, but there’s nothing for people to remember that there was a Manitoba Provincial Police.”
Templeman and Burchill want to have the book out by 2020, which represents Manitoba’s and the Manitoba Provincial Police’s 150th anniversary.
In order to complete the book, they need anyone who has information or artifacts related to the MPP, particularly rural Manitobans, to reach out here.
“We realize that probably the children have passed on, but there should be a lot of grandchildren out there and hopefully they know that their grandfather was a policeman,” Burchill said.
The authors are looking for relatives of former officers or small town historians who may have stories, photos or artifacts such as badges, medals or uniforms related to the MPP to contact them.
Anyone can to send their submissions in on project’s Facebook page called Pioneer Policeman.