Another British Army Female First

In July 2018, the British Army appointed its first female Provost Marshal.

Brigadier Vivienne Buck will be the head of provost services including the Royal Military Police (RMP), Military Provost
Staff (MPS), the Army’s custodial experts, and the Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS).

Her appointment to this position was announced in August 2018 (Twitter, 2018).

What is a Provost Marshal?

Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of military police (MP).

Within the British Army, the role of Provost Marshal (Army), is one of the most ancient appointments in the British Services, a title that dates back to 1511.

Provost Marshal (Army)

Provost Marshal (Army) provides the ‘Policing the Force’ element, which includes activities in the UK concerned with:

Investigations;
Custodial matters; and
Security.

This is supported by:

RMP units;
Specialist organisations, such as the Special Investigations Branch and Specialist Operations Regiment;
The MPS for custodial matters; and
The MPGS for establishment security.

Brigadier Buck will be responsible for approximately 4300 Regular and Reserve Personnel. She will also be acting as the Chief Military Police Advisor to Allied Rapid Reaction Corps NATO HQ (Buck, 2019).