Properly called Regimental Provost Staff in the United Kingdom,[3] most Army battalions and regiments and the Royal Marines Commandos[4] have an RP section, usually headed by the Regimental Provost Sergeant,[5] who operates under the authority of the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM). They are normally responsible for the maintenance of good order and military discipline, with all criminal offences being passed to the specialists of the Royal Military Police.
Members of a regiment's Provost Section can be identified by the brassards they wear, which carry the letters "RP".[6] Unlike Service Police, RPs carry no warrant card and have no powers of arrest greater than those of citizen's arrest. They are not police officers and serve no policing function.