British Columbia Police and Sheriff Act

The British Columbia Police and Sheriff Act, 1933, usually referred to informally as the BC Police Act (henceforth referred to as the Act), is an act of the Assembly of British Columbia, which was signed into law by the Premier of British Columbia on 10 July 1933. It is the main constituting instrument for civilian law enforcement agencies in the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC), namely the British Columbia Provincial Police and British Columbia Sheriff Service.

The Act mandates for the existence of a provincial police force for BC called the British Columbia Provincial Police (BCPP), which is responsible for province-wide policing as well as highway patrol and major criminal investigations; it also mandates for a separate British Columbia Sheriff Service (BCSS), responsible for the care and transportation of detainees, acting as the enforcement arm of the provincial judicial system, providing bailiff services and security for all provincial courts as well as providing well-trained and highly capable security details to senior provincial government personnel and those in the justice system deemed at risk. In addition to the provincial police and sheriff services, the Act mandates for the existence of a unique municipal law enforcement agency for each of the province's 30 counties, which handle all local policing in their respective county, as outlined in detail in sections VII through X of the Act.

As outlined in the Act, the BCPP is directly answerable to the Attorney General of British Columbia via the BC Police and Crime Commissioner, while the BCSS is part of the the hierarchy for which the Attorney General's deputy, the Solicitor General, is responsible.