William Higgitt
Encyclopedia
William Leonard Higgitt was the 15th Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) Commissioner
(October 1, 1969 – December 28, 1973; succeeding Malcolm Lindsay
) and President
of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol
) (1972 - 1976; succeeding Paul Dickopf
).
Leonard was born in Anerley, Saskatchewan
on November 10, 1917. His father Percy Higgitt gave up his nearby homestead when Leonard was four to be an Imperial Oil agent and grain buyer for the Canadian Consolidated Grain Company; later taking over the local store and post office which he operated for over forty years, and ultimately spending many hours in public service to the community in various capacities covering a period of forty-six years.http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm
At the age of 20, Leonard joined the RCMP at Regina
in September 1937 where he completed recruit training and became a stenographer for “F” Division, Regina. He remained in Regina until 1940 when he was posted to Ottawa
, Ontario
for special war
duties and to serve in the Intelligence Branch.
In 1945, he was involved in the investigation of Igor Gouzenko
,http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm a cipher clerk for the Soviet Embassy to Canada
whom defected on September 5 1945 with 109 documents on Soviet espionage activities in the West
.
In 1952, Higgitt became Inspector and Personnel Officer in Ontario. He moved to western Quebec
two years later to serve as Inspector at “C” Division, then was transferred to Montreal
to take charge of the Subdivision and supervise the RCMP’s investigation and enforcement of the Canada Customs Act. In 1955 he graduated from the Canadian Police College. He was posted to the Ottawa Headquarters in 1957 to take on increasingly heavy responsibilities in what is now the Security Service. Three years later he moved to London, England, where he was appointed Liaison Officer for the United Kingdom
and Western Europe in the Canadian Delegation to the General Assemblies of INTERPOL. He remained at this post for three years, travelling extensively and working closely with a number of police organizations. He returned to Canada
in 1963 as a Superintendent where he resumed his work in the Security Service in Ottawa. In 1967, Higgitt became the head of that branch and became Director of Security and Intelligence for the whole of Canada with the rank of Assistant Commissioner. Two years later, he was promoted to Deputy Commissioner and became Director of Operations for all Criminal and Security Service matters throughout Canada. On October 1, 1969 he was promoted to Commissioner and was also unanimously elected a Vice-President of INTERPOL.http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm
During his term in office, the RCMP Guidon was presented to the Force by Queen Elizabeth II
, the first videofile system for storing and retrieving fingerprint
s was obtained, the Canadian Police Information Center (CPIC) with nationwide computer
services was opened, and the creation of the Canadian Bomb Data Center was authorized. Higgitt directed operations during the FLQ Crisis in Quebec in 1970 and was responsible for organizing the RCMP Centennial Celebrations in 1973.http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm
He was named Commander Insignia of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (Order of St. John
). He was also awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal
, the RCMP Long Service Medal, and was elected President of Interpol in 1972, the first elected president from outside Europe.http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm
Commissioner Higgitt retired from the RCMP on December 28 1973. He died in Ottawa on April 2, 1989 and was buried in the RCMP cemetery in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
(October 1, 1969 – December 28, 1973; succeeding Malcolm Lindsay
Malcolm Lindsay
Malcolm Francis Aylesworth Lindsay was the 14th Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, serving from August 15, 1967 to September 30, 1969.-References:...
) and President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
) (1972 - 1976; succeeding Paul Dickopf
Paul Dickopf
Paulinus Dickopf was member of the German Federal Criminal Police Office between 1965 and 1971 raising to the position of president. Under the Nazi government of Adolf Hitler he was a member of the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel. He was also the President of Interpol from 1968 -1972...
).
Leonard was born in Anerley, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
on November 10, 1917. His father Percy Higgitt gave up his nearby homestead when Leonard was four to be an Imperial Oil agent and grain buyer for the Canadian Consolidated Grain Company; later taking over the local store and post office which he operated for over forty years, and ultimately spending many hours in public service to the community in various capacities covering a period of forty-six years.http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
in September 1937 where he completed recruit training and became a stenographer for “F” Division, Regina. He remained in Regina until 1940 when he was posted to Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
for special war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
duties and to serve in the Intelligence Branch.
In 1945, he was involved in the investigation of Igor Gouzenko
Igor Gouzenko
Igor Sergeyevich Gouzenko was a cipher clerk for the Soviet Embassy to Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. He defected on September 5, 1945, with 109 documents on Soviet espionage activities in the West...
,http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm a cipher clerk for the Soviet Embassy to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
whom defected on September 5 1945 with 109 documents on Soviet espionage activities in the West
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
.
In 1952, Higgitt became Inspector and Personnel Officer in Ontario. He moved to western Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
two years later to serve as Inspector at “C” Division, then was transferred to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to take charge of the Subdivision and supervise the RCMP’s investigation and enforcement of the Canada Customs Act. In 1955 he graduated from the Canadian Police College. He was posted to the Ottawa Headquarters in 1957 to take on increasingly heavy responsibilities in what is now the Security Service. Three years later he moved to London, England, where he was appointed Liaison Officer for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Western Europe in the Canadian Delegation to the General Assemblies of INTERPOL. He remained at this post for three years, travelling extensively and working closely with a number of police organizations. He returned to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1963 as a Superintendent where he resumed his work in the Security Service in Ottawa. In 1967, Higgitt became the head of that branch and became Director of Security and Intelligence for the whole of Canada with the rank of Assistant Commissioner. Two years later, he was promoted to Deputy Commissioner and became Director of Operations for all Criminal and Security Service matters throughout Canada. On October 1, 1969 he was promoted to Commissioner and was also unanimously elected a Vice-President of INTERPOL.http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm
During his term in office, the RCMP Guidon was presented to the Force by Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, the first videofile system for storing and retrieving fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
s was obtained, the Canadian Police Information Center (CPIC) with nationwide computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
services was opened, and the creation of the Canadian Bomb Data Center was authorized. Higgitt directed operations during the FLQ Crisis in Quebec in 1970 and was responsible for organizing the RCMP Centennial Celebrations in 1973.http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm
He was named Commander Insignia of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (Order of St. John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
). He was also awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal
Canadian Centennial Medal
The Canadian Centennial Medal is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation and was awarded to Canadians who were recommended by governments and professional, educational and cultural associations, as well as...
, the RCMP Long Service Medal, and was elected President of Interpol in 1972, the first elected president from outside Europe.http://www.rcmpmuseum.com/friends/notes/14-1note.htm
Commissioner Higgitt retired from the RCMP on December 28 1973. He died in Ottawa on April 2, 1989 and was buried in the RCMP cemetery in Regina, Saskatchewan.