Police in Canada - Statistics & Facts
Law enforcement in Canada is structured under three tiers: federal, provincial, and municipal. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (federal police) enforce federal laws nationwide as well as being the sole police force in the territories of Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. In addition, all provinces aside from Ontario and Quebec contract out their provincial law enforcement to the RCMP. Likewise, smaller municipalities may contract out their policing to the provincial governments and the RCMP.
In the fiscal year of 2023, operating expenditures for police services in Canada totaled to 506 Canadian dollars per capita. With more than 5.8 billion Canadian dollars, Ontario was the province with the highest spending on policing in Canada as of 2019. Along with the increasing per capita expenditures on policing, the number of police officers in Canada has also increased, while the crime rate has notably decreased over the last years.
In addition, another trend in the police force is the rising number of women among all ranks. In 2023, female officers made up almost 30 percent of all police in Canada. In terms of proportions, women were more likely to be constables than their male counterparts, while the latter were more likely to be non-commissioned or commissioned officers.
As was the case for many other sectors, Canadian police services had to face the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences. As a result, several measures were put in place in response to the crisis. The most frequently implemented of these were adjustments of training methods, changes in the layout of workplaces, changes in the way police services deal with suspects in cells, changes in work schedules, and use of telecommuting.
In the fiscal year of 2023, operating expenditures for police services in Canada totaled to 506 Canadian dollars per capita. With more than 5.8 billion Canadian dollars, Ontario was the province with the highest spending on policing in Canada as of 2019. Along with the increasing per capita expenditures on policing, the number of police officers in Canada has also increased, while the crime rate has notably decreased over the last years.
In addition, another trend in the police force is the rising number of women among all ranks. In 2023, female officers made up almost 30 percent of all police in Canada. In terms of proportions, women were more likely to be constables than their male counterparts, while the latter were more likely to be non-commissioned or commissioned officers.
As was the case for many other sectors, Canadian police services had to face the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences. As a result, several measures were put in place in response to the crisis. The most frequently implemented of these were adjustments of training methods, changes in the layout of workplaces, changes in the way police services deal with suspects in cells, changes in work schedules, and use of telecommuting.
