Servants of the Public
For many years Force members fulfilled every duty concerned with civil authority in the North-West. They maintained essential services for public order and welfare. The Force also assumed responsibility for many mail services in the early west, either acting as mail carriers between settlements or awarding contracts for this service. As late as 1883, many police barracks served as Post Offices, with members acting as Postmasters. Members were also customs collectors, Indian agents and census takers. For a while detachments compiled meteorological records. The Force's surgeons, often the only medical practitioners for miles around, tended to the medical needs of the local populace. Criminals sentenced to jail terms often served their time in Mounted Police Guardrooms. Those sentenced to hard labour swung axes on the post wood pile. The Force escorted lunatics to the nearest asylum at Brandon. Aside from these federal duties, they administered the following territorial ordinances: recorded vital statistics, corralled stallions at large, and controlled the spread of contagious diseases and prairie fires. As the Federal and Territorial governments appointed officials, departments became more and more established, and the police were gradually relieved of these duties.
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