total costs. Their number of officers, policies and priorities were set by a municipally-appointed police board. The 59 municipalities which contracted their police duties to the RCMP "E" Division had their officers operate under provincial or federal policies and priorities. Of the municipalities which have population over 15,000 people paid 90% and municipalities between 5,000 and 15,000 people paid 70% with the federal government paying the rest. Provincial detachments The RCMP provincial force covers the 86 municipalities with populations below 5,000 people and the unincorporated rural areas surrounding all municipalities. These 112 detachments and 756 officers covered 720,443 people in a province of over 4.2 million people. The costs of policing were shared between the provincial government (70%) and the federal government (30%). These municipalities did not make any direct contribution but the rural areas had some of their property tax covering a small portion of the provincial share. In some cases the municipal forces and provincial forces operated from the same detachment and reported to the same commanding officer but their statistics were kept separate. Policing in First Nation communities was done under one of three programs with the costs being shared between the provincial (46-48%) and federal (52-54%) governments. Under the First Nations Community Policing Services (FNCPS) 48 officers served the aboriginal communities throughout the province. Where no FNCPS agreement was made between the band and the provincial and federal governments the Aboriginal Community Constable Program had 36 First Nations officers serving the communities. There were two independent First Nations Administered Police Services (FNAPS), autonomous of the RCMP: the Kitasoo-Xaixais Public Safety Department and the Stl’atl’imx Tribal Police Service, with the Ditidaht First Nation Public Safety and Policing Services closing in 2004 (covered by the Lake Cowichan RCMP detachment in 2005). Notes This RCMP detachment operated from the municipality but provided police services to the rural areas and other communities, not the municipality it operated from. A separate municipal RCMP detachment covered the municipality and its statistics were kept separate (shown above). References 2005 in British Columbia