Colour - Our Inspiration

LPS marks 10^th anniversary of its Colour

Consecrated on May 17, 2007, at Wolseley Barracks, the London Police Service (LPS) Colour, or ceremonial flag, is a symbolic representations of specific attributes of the service.

While many Canadian police services have a Colour, few have their own 'armorial bearings', or coat-of-arms, such as the one developed by the LPS to mark the 150^th anniversary of the creation of the service. This coat-of-arms is the centre piece of the LPS Colour.

The Colour "belongs to the citizens of London and is a representation of the sacred trust within the community and our commitment to providing excellent service," Chief John Pare told those gathered September 28, 2017, at a rededication ceremony at London's St. Peter's Basilica to mark the Colour's 10^th anniversary.

"Our Coat of Arms and our Colour are a memorial to the great deeds, sacrifices and dedication to service," Chief Pare said. "It is meant to serve as an inspiration for the future and to challenge members to meet and exceed the achievements of those who have come before them."

The centre shield of the coat-of-arms is gold, representing generosity, and takes the shape of the badge. This shield is surrounded by a border of black (constancy or tenaciously staying the course) representing an additional layer of security for the citizens we are sworn to serve.

The inverted silver (peace and sincerity) chevron separates the two fields in the middle of the shield with a beaver in the bottom area and a key in the top. The beaver, which was part of the old London coat of arms, is on a blue background representing loyalty and truth. The key on a red (fortitude and magnanimity) background is a cell block key, representing the trust between our citizens and the police service, as well as our role in maintaining the security of London.

London Police is boldly written in the annulus and is surrounded by a wealth of multi-coloured maple leaves representing police service's preparedness in all seasons. The maple leaf represents Canada, the trillium Ontario, and the peony is the official flower of London. The Royal Crown indicates service to the Crown's justice and commitment to upholding the Constitution and the rule of law. The LPS armorial bearings were petitioned to Buckingham Palace and granted by Queen Elizabeth II in May 2006.

The motto - Facta Non Verba, or 'Deeds, not words' - had to be ageless and inspirational to our members. It was selected from suggestions submitted by employees and stresses the importance of taking action to serve Londoners.

Please visit our photo gallery for images from the original and rededication ceremonies.