 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (September 2008) |
In Canada, there are three levels of police forces: municipal, provincial, and federal. Constitutionally, law enforcement is a provincial responsibility, and most urban areas have been given the authority by the provinces to maintain their own police force. All but three provinces in turn contract out their provincial law enforcement responsibilities to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the federal police force.
Contents |
Police Forces
Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador maintain their own provincial police forces: The Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec (Quebec Provincial Police) and Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Smaller municipalities often contract police service from the provincial policing authority, while larger ones maintain their own force. Newfoundland's provincial police force is only responsible for its larger urban areas; the province has contracted the RCMP to patrol the rest of the province. The RCMP, colloquially known as Mounties, is the only police force to service all three levels in some areas of the country.
There are also a few private police forces, with the some of the powers as other governmental forces(as it relates to company property). The Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways both have their own police forces. In fact, any railway in Canada can appoint police officers. Some private hospitals and universities also employ private special police as well as quasi government agencies like transit commisions, power authorities etc. The duties of private railway police are to prevent crimes against the company, protection of goods, materials and public rail transit being moved on their rail systems. They work to protect the public, rail personnel, and property that is owned or administered by the railways. As always the regular public police maintain authority and jurisdiction for all criminal offences, irregardless of the offence occurring on public or private property. A local police chief has legislated and common law authority as the police of responsibility for territory under his command. Private police, do not have legislated duties and are not legally obligated to maintain or police their property with private police officers. All taxpayers, companies, and citizens have equal access to public police. Many companies and quais government agencies find that it is cost efficient and reduces liablity to have security or sworn special police. Thus the company can direct its resources to matters that it finds important and control its own private interests.
Canadian Forces Military Police
The Canadian Forces Military Police provide military police services to the Canadian Forces. They provide a full and professional police service to Canadian Forces Bases in Canada, and are an integral part of all deployed operations around the world. Canadian Military Police are defined as Peace Officers in the Criminal Code of Canada, which gives them the same powers as civilian police to enforce Acts of Parliament. In addition to the authority to arrest anyone who is subject to the Code of Service Discipline, they also, in accordance with the Criminal Code of Canada, can arrest anyone, whether civilian or military, who they discover committing a criminal act. If arresting and charging a civilian for an offence committed on a military base, the Military Police will transfer custody of the civillian to a civilian jail. The Military Police will then complete the civilian court process in the exact same manner as their civilian police counterparts, submitting all necessary court documents and appearing at a civilian trial just as any civilian police officer would do.
Strength
As of May 2007, Canada had 64,134 police officers, or 195 per 100,000 people. Canadian police strength reached a peak in 1975, when there were 206 officers per 100,000 people. Although the current number reflects a significant rise in the total police strength in the country (the highest in twelve years after steady declines in the 1980s and 1990s), Canada still lags behind the United States (230 per 100,000), Australia (222), and England and Wales (262).
Provincially, Saskatchewan had the highest number at 207 officers per 100,000 and the province has also held the national record for the highest crime rate since 1997. The lowest numbers were in Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta.[2] The three territories, while having far fewer police officers in absolute terms, have around twice as many police officers per capita as do the provinces.
| Police officers, by province and territory[1] | |||||
| (Police officers per 100,000 population) | |||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| police officers per 100,000 population | |||||
| rate | |||||
| Canada | 187.6 | 186.9 | 188.9 | 191.5 | 195.2 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 148.1 | 148.1 | 151 | 156.8 | 165.4 |
| Prince Edward Island | 158.7 | 150.1 | 154.2 | 158.8 | 163.5 |
| Nova Scotia | 171.7 | 172.2 | 173.5 | 178.4 | 188.4 |
| New Brunswick | 170.4 | 173.1 | 172.6 | 172.3 | 177.1 |
| Quebec | 191.7 | 191.1 | 194.2 | 197.3 | 198.2 |
| Ontario | 189.5 | 187 | 186.5 | 187.3 | 191.7 |
| Manitoba | 196.1 | 193.6 | 192.1 | 196.4 | 203.6 |
| Saskatchewan | 200.8 | 202 | 203.1 | 206 | 206.6 |
| Alberta | 158.1 | 159.7 | 162.8 | 166 | 165.1 |
| British Columbia | 171 | 168.2 | 174.9 | 178.1 | 185.5 |
| Yukon Territory | 405.6 | 391.6 | 385.6 | 371.4 | 385.3 |
| Northwest Territories | 386 | 399.6 | 405.8 | 408.5 | 418.7 |
| Nunavut | 414.9 | 415.1 | 402.8 | 396.3 | 394 |
Ranks
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), Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (Superintendent), Vancouver Police Department (Chief Constable), and the West Vancouver Police Department (Chief Constable):-
- Chief of Police
- Deputy Chief of Police
- Superintendent (Chief Superintendent and Staff Superintendent)
- Inspector
- Staff-Sergeant
- Sergeant and Detective Sergeant
- Police Constable (PC) and Detective Constable
- Cadet/Recruit
- Special Constable
Weapons
 |
This article's section named "Weapons" does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) |
In the 1990s, the majority of law enforcement agencies of Canada began wearing bulletproof vests and municipal police agencies started carrying Glock semi-automatic handguns in the .40 S&W caliber cartridge. In terms of numbers of officers, and due to its use by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the most widely used weapon is the Smith & Wesson 5946 with hollow-point 9mm caliber ammunition.
These firearms replaced the aging .38 Special revolver. A significant number of agencies have begun to use the Sig Sauer semi-automatic handgun in the .40 S&W caliber. A Police cruiser might carry a Carbine rifle; or a shotgun capable of firing a variety of shotgun shells including the less-lethal flexible baton round and rubber bullets.
Other less-lethal weapons carried would include the Taser, pepper spray and an expandable baton. In addition, they would have on their person: handcuffs, flashlight, portable radio, notebook, and a pair of disposable gloves and Kevlar gloves.
See also
Notes
- ^ a b "Police officers, by province and territory". Statistics Canada. http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/legal05c.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "Police personnel and expenditures". Statistics Canada. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/071116/d071116a.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
.svg){kind=small}
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
