COMPARATIVE MODELS IN POLICING

Tristan Jules A. Iligan

Justin Ortega

Renan Bandola
Objectives

This paper aims to know how the Canadian police organizations function and to
compare the policing system of Canada and the Philippines.

Background of the country

Canada is a North American country. Its 10 provinces and three territories stretch
from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, encompassing a
total area of 9.98 million square kilometers (3.85 million square miles), making it the
world's second-largest country by total area. Its southern and western border with the
United States is the world's longest binational land border, reaching 8,891 kilometers
(5,525 miles). Ottawa is the country's capital, and Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are
its three major cities.

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples have lived in what is now Canada.
British and French expeditions began exploring and settling along the Atlantic coast in
the 16th century. In 1763, France ceded practically all of its colonies in North America
as a result of several armed battles. Canada was established as a federal dominion
comprising four provinces in 1867, following the Confederation of three British North
American colonies. This marked the start of the accretion of provinces and territories, as
well as a gradual increase in autonomy from the United Kingdom. The Statute of
Westminster of 1931 emphasized this growing autonomy, which culminated in the
Canada Act of 1982, which ended the last vestiges of legal dependency on the United
Kingdom's Parliament.

Moreover, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy

in the Westminster tradition. The country's head of government is the prime minister—
who holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected
House of Commons—and is appointed by the governor general, representing the
monarch, who serves as head of state. In addition, according to Worldometer's
elaboration of the most recent United Nations data, Canada's current population is
38,146,221. According to UN estimates, Canada's population in 2020 is expected to be
37,742,154 people by mid-year. The population of Canada is 0.48 percent of the world's
total population.
POLICE AGENCY

a. BACKGROUND OF THE AGENCY.

Canada’s earliest legal traditions can be traced to both France and England.
Quebec City followed the early models of French cities and created a watchman system
in 1651.Upper Canada, later renamed Ontario, adopted English traditions and
established both a constabulary and a watch-and-ward system. The English system
was imposed on French areas after 1759. Using England’s Metropolitan Police Act as a
model, Toronto created a police department in 1835, and Quebec City and Montreal
followed suit in 1838 and 1840, respectively. In 1867 provincial police forces were
established for the vast rural areas in eastern Canada.

Furthermore, in 1873, the North West Mounted Police (later renamed the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police [RCMP]) was formed to police the western plains. The
original 300 officers were initially tasked with eliminating incursions by whiskey-trading
Americans who were inciting Canadian Indians (now known as First Nations) to
violence, and the force later spearheaded efforts to make the Canadian frontier an
integral part of Canada. It fought prairie fires, disease, and destitution in the new
settlements while also protecting immigrants. The Canadian mounted police marked a
significant departure from Anglo-Saxon policing traditions. They operated more like a
military organization than a traditional police force, with similar organizational, style, and
method to the models of France and Ireland. Strong leadership ensured that they
operated with restraint and within Canadian political traditions.

Canada has several types of police safeguarding the country. They have RCMP
for federal laws and provide policing services in all territories and most provinces. The
Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, and Labrador have provincial police forces. Also, most
cities and large towns have their own municipal police forces.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada’s national police force, is
unique in the world as a combined international, federal, provincial and municipal
policing body. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is the Canadian national
police service and an agency of the Public Safety. Currently, The Royal Canadian
Mounted Police (RCMP) delivers the enforcement of law and investigation services in
relation to federal statutes, criminal investigation, technology and support services for
the broader police community, international policing duties and Contract policing
services across eight provinces (excluding Ontario and Québec) and three territories,
with around 200 municipalities and 600 Aboriginal communities, as needed.

Moreover, the RCMP is responsible for enforcing legislation enacted by the

Canadian Parliament across the country. Part of the power and obligation granted to
provincial governments is the administration of justice within the provinces, which
includes the execution of the Criminal Code. The RCMP offers police services to all
provinces (excluding Ontario and Quebec), Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and
Nunavut, as well as 197 municipalities through separate municipal policing agreements.

Lastly, any complaints from the public against the enforcers will be heard by the
Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP, where they review and
investigate these complaints in an open, independent and objective manner. This help
people protect themselves from officers who abuses their power.

Organizational Chart

b. RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Potential candidates must meet the minimum requirements before beginning the
application process. The following list of application requirements applies to most police
agencies in Canada:

 Be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada.

 Be proficient in the English and/or French languages
 Have a Canadian high school diploma or equivalent
 Be in good health
 Meet the vision standards
 Meet the hearing standards
 Meet the necessary level of physical abilities
 Have good character
 Have no criminal convictions and no criminal charges pending
 Must be 18 or 19 years of age, depending on the province and policing agency
THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR POLICE OFFICER CANDIDATES

Potential candidates must go through a strict application process designed to weed out
those who lack the necessary skills to become outstanding police officers

Police officers assist in the maintenance of peace and order as well as the safety of
community members. This position has a great deal of responsibility. It is not for
everyone to go through the application process.

Canadian police agencies generally follow the same process which involves a series of
tests, checks and interviews, including:

 A written exam
 Physical exams
 A psychological exam
 Medical exams
 A polygraph exam
 A background investigation

Some of these tests require detailed paperwork but minimal preparation. For some
tests, like the physical tests, you would be best prepared if you did a fitness training
program, prior to, depending on your fitness level. Other tests, like the polygraph exam,
require no preparation at all. Applicants can be turned down at any stage of the
process, and even if they pass all of them, an offer of employment is not guaranteed.
Once you have completed all assessments, your entire application package is reviewed
and measured against other applicants to determine the most suitable candidates for
the role as a police officer. In addition, if you are selected, you will be given a
conditional offer of employment, allowing you to proceed to the final phase in the
process of becoming a police officer: cadet training. The training programs are
strenuous, both physically and mentally. It’s a good idea to start preparing for police
academy training as far in advance as possible the training programs are physically and
mentally demanding. Starting to prepare for police academy training as early as feasible
is a smart idea. These programs are designed to prepare you for a career in law
enforcement by equipping you with the skills and tools you'll need on the job. To
graduate from training and finish this final step in the process, trainees must meet a
series of requirements.
 RANK CLASSIFICATION

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EQUIPMENT

On service calls, police officers, whether plain clothed or uniformed, bring a

range of equipment with them. The equipment carried by uniformed officers is far
greater than that carried by plainclothes officers. Special operations forces, including
SWAT and crowd-control squads, have even more weaponry.

The amount of equipment carried by uniformed officers has grown considerably

since the 1950s, when it basically consisted of a handgun in a holster, handcuffs, and a
nightstick. The holster was attached to a Sam Browne belt a wide belt, usually made of
leather, supported by a strap extending diagonally over the right shoulder. The belt was
ill-adapted to changes in other police equipment, however, and its use declined in the
late 20th century. Today, the belts worn by uniformed police officers in urban North
America typically have a number of holsters or cases for carrying an automatic pistol,
spare clips of ammunition, metal and plastic handcuffs, a portable radio, pepper spray,
a collapsible baton, and a video microphone transmitter (if the officer’s car contains a
camera). A clipboard with spare report forms also is standard equipment. In addition,
many police officers carry first-aid kits and other medical equipment, such as a
defibrillator, in their patrol cars; they also may carry a portable breath analyzer for
testing drivers who may be intoxicated. To this basic equipment many police officers
add cell phones or pagers, flashlights, binoculars, tape recorders, portable scanners,
plastic gloves, and extra weapons (e.g., a spare gun, a confiscated knife, a blackjack, or
brass knuckles). The practice of bearing extra weapons, being of questionable legality,
is mostly done surreptitiously, making it difficult to assess how extensive it is. However,
it has been acknowledged by most police researchers. Finally, an essential piece of
equipment is the bulletproof vest, which covers the torso of the officer and is worn either
over or under the uniform shirt. Many such vests are made with the fiber Kevlar, which
is capable of stopping most handgun projectiles and many types of knives. More robust
vests, made of ceramic and fiber combinations that can withstand rifle fire, are used in
bomb-disposal operations.

Lastly, the quantity and diversity of equipment carried by police officers naturally
depend on the financial resources allocated to police forces. North American police
forces are generally better equipped than police forces in most other parts of the world;
indeed, their equipment levels tend to be treated as benchmarks that other forces try to
meet. Nevertheless, with the important exception of firearms, police equipment
throughout the world is becoming increasingly standardized

BEST PRACTICES

In the pursuit of peace in fragile and conflict-affected settings, the Royal

Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) reaffirms and deepens its commitment to gender
equality and the inclusion, empowerment, and protection of women and girls. The
Action Plan acknowledges Canada's role in ensuring that its policies, programs, and
initiatives have a positive impact on the varied populations of women and girls who live
in unsafe circumstances around the world. Similarly, the RCMP's contribution to the
Action Plan 2017-22 recognizes that women's and girls' security is inextricably related to
global security, and that, as a result, women and girls must be considered and
empowered in the establishment of global peace and security.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Canada is a powerful country capable of enforcing the law and

preventing the spread of crime. They have the initiative to improve their policing by
recruiting the best personnel, implementing effective rules and regulations, and
immediate emergency response.

The police organizations of Canada same with the police organization of the
Philippines are responsible in keeping the public safe and preventing crime. Both
countries performs simple yet effective actions such as patrolling areas by car or in foot
to monitor public places, investigate unlawful acts, and responding emergencies such
as crimes, accidents and natural disasters.

Moreover, Canadian police who are accused of abuse of power accused of

committing crime, exceeding their limitations under the law or acting in a way that
contravenes the police codes of conduct will be heard and investigated by the
Commission of Public Complaints. Similarly, the Office of the Ombudsman in the
Philippines under the Republic Act No. 6770, Ombudsman Act of 1989 investigates and
prosecutes any public officer or employees who are accused of any illegal, unjust, or
improper acts. The Ombudsman same with the Canada’s Commission on Public
Complaints is independent, free and impartial who don’t take sides and will provide
justice to the public.

This paper also concludes that Canadian officers have basic useful equipment’s
for their uniformed personnel. Law enforcers have basic yet important equipment used
both for crime prevention and for emergency purposes such as first-aid kits, nebulizer,
defibrillator, and in their patrol cars, they also carry a portable breath analyzer for testing
drivers who may be intoxicated. Same with the Philippines, officers are trained and
equipped with this basic equipment’s to ensure public safety especially to detect
motorists who are driving under the influence of alcohol.

Lastly, Canada’s policing system are not quite different with the Philippine
policing system. Both countries empower their policing through effective enforcement of
laws and balance use of public power and government.

Reference:
 https://www.educanada.ca/study-plan-etudes/before-avant/about-canada-a-
propos.aspx?lang=eng
 https://www.britannica.com/topic/police/The-development-of-police-in-Canada
 https://paladinsecurity.com/law-enforcement-careers/become-police-officer-
canada/#section4
 https://www.britannica.com/topic/police/Equipment-and-tactics
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_ranks_in_Canada#Royal_Canadian_Mounted
_Police