The RCMP is overdue for renewal – and that begins with contract policing
Over time, the Mounties developed their own identity and culture. Unlike many police forces, RCMP officers have significant independence in how they respond to and follow up with calls. The RCMP’s paramilitary structure and its substantial pan-Canadian membership allow it to effectively manage protection for large events, such as political summits or the Olympics.
But policing has grown more complicated and more costly over the years. Low salaries that once made the job comparable to a religious vocation steadily increased. Crimes became more complicated, and under-the-radar federal investigations allowed RCMP leaders to be less accountable for its production in that sphere. All the while, the RCMP became less effective – not because of its individual members, but due to long-standing structural problems, staff scarcity and a lack of leadership.
The RCMP’s preponderant contract-policing role affirms these realities. It principally recruits and trains members for front-line roles, making federal policing an afterthought. It also means management philosophy is largely propelled by an entrenched culture and front-line mentality, which focuses on day-to-day emergency responses rather than reflection on what a federal national policing service should actually do.
were established to try to address the issue, but they were doomed from the start; by being included in the broader RCMP structure, their budgets and personnel were gradually redirected elsewhere.Systemic aberrations around how officers are paid, however, might be the best way to spur necessary transformation.
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