CANADA POLICING SYSTEM

GROUP 7

LEADER:
GUERRERO, JYNYVIE ANN B.

MEMBER:
JUGO, ROMMEL L.

BS CRIMINOLOGY 2
BLOCK 7
Canada
 POLICING IN CANADA

▪ The most expensive component of justice system in Canada is policing.

▪ Police force costs about six billion dollars annually and includes almost
60,000 police officers at three different levels:
-Federal
-Provincial
-Municipal

▪ Since the 1970’s, arrangements have also been made for Aboriginal police
forces to serve many of the Aboriginal communities in Canada. 
Policing overview: Canada has three levels of police services : municipal,
provincial, and federal.
▪ 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.

Three levels of police services in Canada:

1 FEDERAL

2 PROVINCIAL

3 MUNICIPAL
 Royal Canadian Mounted Police -RCMP

01
▪ The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is the Canadian national police service
and an agency of the Public Safety and often known as “Mounties”.

▪ Functions and missions 

Throughout Canada, the RCMP enforces laws made under the authority of the Canadian
Parliament. Administration of justice within the provinces, including enforcement of the
Criminal Code, is part of the power and duty delegated03 to the provincial governments.

▪ The RCMP provides police services under the terms of policing agreements to all
provinces. 04
 FEDERAL POLICE

▪ The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was formed in 1873 as the
North-West Mounted Police and are now the federal police force in Canada.

▪ They provide investigative and protective services to the federal government

and serve as the provincial police (as well as municipal police in some areas)
in all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec.

▪ In Nunavut, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, the RCMP is the only
operating police force, although this arrangement may change if Aboriginal
Police Forces are established in these areas.
 FEDERAL POLICE- RCMP

▪ RCMP’s work focuses on the following eight areas:

▪ Customs and Excise – investigates cases of international smuggling/ enforces the Customs Act in
isolated areas of the country. Excise duties are taxes collected on goods produced in Canada,
such as cigarettes and alcohol. The Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency imposes these
taxes and the RCMP investigates violations of the Excise Act.
▪ Drug Enforcement - enforces the laws identified in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
This branch of the RCMP consists of about 1000 officers who give the highest priority to cases
involving international and interprovincial drug smuggling.
▪ Economic Crime – focuses on commercial fraud, organized crime, technological crime, and
securities fraud. This branch also works with the Bank of Canada to deliver early warnings to
local police of currency counterfeiting activity.
▪ Federal Policing - enforces 286 federal laws and 17 sets of regulations that cover such areas as
hazardous waste transportation, environmental laws, explosives, vehicle odometer tampering, stu-
dent loans, and other public safety and consumer protection issues.
 Federal Police - RCMP

▪ Immigration – gathers information on the smuggling of aliens into Canada and the counterfeiting of
passports and visas. This branch also works with Immigration Canada to screen out immigration
applicants who are members of criminal organizations or perpetrators of war crimes and acts of
terrorism. 
▪ Proceeds of Crime – division identifies and confiscates money or property that has been acquired
through criminal activities.
▪ Criminal Intelligence – specializes in gathering intelligence , or information, on organized crime
and terrorist groups.
▪ International Liaison and Protective Services – provides security for federal officials and visiting
heads of state. This division also co-operates with foreign police agencies such as Interpol
(International Criminal Police Organization).

▪ It is important to note that policing in these eight areas is not done exclusively by the RCMP.
Provincial and municipal police forces and other provincial and federal agencies often work together
to enforce the law in these areas.
 PROVINCIAL POLICE

▪ Provincial police forces have jurisdiction in rural areas and in unincorporated regions around cities.
The largest of these forces is the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), followed by the Sureté du Quebec
and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary . In other provinces and in other areas of NFLD and Lab.
the RCMP operates as the provincial police.

▪ Using the Ontario Provincial Police as an example of a provincial police force, these are the areas
of responsibility they cover: 

-Policing municipalities that are not required by law to maintain their own police force 
-Responding to municipal police requests for special assistance in emergencies 
-Providing traffic control on all 400-series and major highways, including those sections that are in the
jurisdiction of municipal police forces
-Providing investigative services on request to the coroner’s office and to other police ministries
-Performing other assigned duties such as maintaining the provincial firearms registry, providing
security and protecting government officials and dignitaries
 MUNICIPAL POLICE
▪ Jurisdiction in towns/cities funded by each municipality

▪ Smaller towns/cities without municipal funds for their forces use provincial police or RCMP.

▪ Municipal police force organized into numbered divisions that service local community. Divisions
then sub-divided into specialized crime squads 
Ex. Gang Crime Unit, Robbery Squad, Homicide Squad and Explosives Disposal Unit. 

▪ A municipal police officer’s duties: 

-Preserving the peace 
-Preventing crimes from occurring
-Assisting victims of crime  
-Apprehending criminals
-Laying charges and participating in prosecutions
-Executing warrants
-Enforcing municipal by laws
 Aboriginal Police

▪ The First Nations Policing Policy administered by the Dept. of the Solicitor General 

▪ A partnership among the federal/provincial/territorial governments and the Aboriginal peoples to

develop police services for Aboriginal communities.

▪ Each First Nation can make an agreement with the fed./prov. governments to establish standalone
Aboriginal Police Forces or to develop First Nations contingents within existing forces.

▪ The goal of such police forces is to offer services that are both professional and sensitive to the
needs of the community. 
 SO, WHAT DOES IT
TAKE TO BE A POLICE
OFFICER?
POLICE
OFFICERS
MUST:
 Potential candidates need to meet the minimum requirements:

-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
The Chief of Police is the title of the head of most Canadian police forces
except for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Commissioner), Ontario
Provincial Police (Commissioner), South Coast British Columbia Trans-
portation Authority Police Service (Chief Officer), Vancouver Police De-
partment (Chief Constable), West Vancouver Police Department (Chief
Constable), Nelson Police Department (Chief Constable) and the Sûreté
du Québec (Director General). Other typical ranks include:
Other typical ranks include:

-Deputy Chief of Police

-Superintendent
-Staff Superintendent (and Senior Staff Superintendent)
-Superintendent
-Staff Inspector
-Inspector
-Sergeant Major
-Staff Sergeant (and Detective Sergeant)
-Sergeant (and Detective)
-Corporal (and Detective Corporal)
-Senior Constable
-Police Constable (and Detective Constable)
-Ranking also exists (i.e. 1st Class Constable, 2nd Class Constable, etc...)
-Special Constable
-Cadet/Recruit
THE END!