The article examines the subordinate political and socioeconomic position of aboriginal people in Canada and discusses the implications in terms of the historical and contemporary policing of aboriginal peoples. A major role in the colonization of aboriginal peoples was played by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The delivery of policing services to aboriginal peoples occurs in a variety of settings, and in communities often characterized by high rates of violent and property crimes, high rates of domestic and child abuse, and considerable variation in crime patterns across communities. In partial response to aboriginal demands for the creation of autonomous police forces, the Canadian federal government has allowed the RCMP and provincial forces to develop aboriginal policing programs, with mixed success. It is in the area of policing that aboriginal peoples have assumed the greatest responsibility over the delivery of justice services. Key issues in aboriginal policing relate to standards of recruitment and training of officers, jurisdictional authority, models of police-service delivery to aboriginal communities, accountability factors, and the need for checks and balances. 65 references