RCMP says it’s ramping up recruitment in B.C., but mayors and policing experts say staffing crunch is hurting public safety in the province
show that it is missing nearly a fifth of its work force in British Columbia, the result of unfilled vacancies and members off on extended leave – a staffing crisis that impacts investigations and call-response times.showed that there were roughly 460 RCMP job vacancies across B.C., representing more than half the 813 empty positions across the country.
Data from the force show that roughly 375 Mounties a year across the country were on leaves of six months or more in 2014, with that number holding steady for two years. These leaves rose steadily until 694 members took this extended paid time off in 2021. Last year, the number spiked to 912 across Canada.
The RCMP has previously said it had to contend with the impact of the pandemic, which slowed the training of new Mounties to replace retiring ones. The force added that it has overhauled its application processes and is ramping up training of new recruits to alleviate the staffing crunch. It also noted a recent commitment from B.C. Premier David Eby to add 277 more Mounties over the next three years.
RCMP leadership has acknowledged the need to change the way it supports officers in the wake of critical incidents, for example, but shifting practices in such a massive organization takes time and understaffing is not helping the matter, Sgt. Paddon said.
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