Commissioned Officers
Junior commissioned officers (inspectors and above) wear similar red serge tunics; however, their collars are solid blue as are their sleeve cuffs. Officers do not wear any qualification, specialist, or service badges on their tunics. Rank is worn in the British style of metal "pips" and "crowns" on the epaulettes. The yellow stripe on officers breeches and males overalls is finer material and wider than Cst and NCOs. Officers' "high brown" boots are different from the Cst and NCOs. Officers' Sam Brownes have D-rings for sword frogs, and the cross straps travel over the right shoulder.
Senior officers wear a metallic belt, not a leather Sam Browne, and gold plaited shoulder cords in full dress.
Officers have the option of wearing a Stetson or forage cap with Red Serge.
The mess dress worn by commissioned officers has a scarlet cutaway jacket.
Prior to 1904, a white, topi-style of pith helmet was standard issue; however, plainsmen often preferred to ride wearing non-regulation cowboy hats and these subsequently became uniform issue in the form of the Stetson hat.
An RCMP officer wearing the Red Serge is an internationally recognized Canadian icon.
The Red Serge is not worn as working dress when an officer is on normal duty, but is reserved for occasions such as civic ceremonies, musical rides, ceremonial parades, as a visual representative of the security force for government dignitaries, and during public relations—related special events such as school career days or guard duty at Parliament in Ottawa. Members also march in funerals for police officers wearing the traditional Red Serge.
The Red Serge is also worn by RCMP members during special personal events, such as the wedding ceremony of a fellow officer, where it is not uncommon for an entire detachment of a small community to wear the Red Serge as an honour guard for the bride and groom at their wedding ceremony. Usually, if the groom is a member, he will be married in his Red Serge, in lieu of civilian formal attire.
Read more about this topic: Red Serge
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