This statistic shows the total number of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers in Canada in 2019, distinguished by level of policing and province. In 2019, there were 5,972 Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers acting in contract policing positions in British Columbia.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was founded in 1920 by the joining of the Dominion Police (a federal police force in the eastern part of Canada) and the Northwest Mounted Police (established to police the newly acquired Northwest Territories). The distinctive red colored dress uniform of the RCMP, popularly referred to as Red Serge, was adopted from the Northwest Mounted Police and was styled in order to reflect the British character of the police force. The image and name of the RCMP was trademarked in 1995 with the intended purpose of preserving the image and reputation of the force. Proceeds from royalties collected are used to fund community initiative projects across Canada.

Today, the RCMP serves as Canada’s federal police force, as well being the sole police force in the territories. In addition, all provinces, except for Ontario and Quebec, contract out their policing needs to the RCMP. Similarly, the RCMP provides policing for many municipalities and aboriginal communities. There were 30,092 active personnel in the RCMP in 2019, of which roughly 19,000 were police officers. All told, RCMP personnel made up roughly 30 percent of personnel in police service in Canada in 2018. The RCMP enjoys the highest public approval rating of members of the criminal justice system, with 67 percent of the public professing confidence in the organization.

Data on police officers (by detailed ranks and gender), civilian personnel and special constables (by detailed duties and gender), and recruits (by gender). Data is provided for Canada, provinces, territories and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) headquarters, training academy depot division and forensic labs, 1986 to 2023.

This statistic shows the number of police officers in Canada in 2023, distinguished by province. In 2023, Ontario had the highest number of police officers at 26,704.

Data on police personnel (police officers by gender, civilian and other personnel), police-civilian ratio, police officers and authorized strength per 100,000 population, authorized police officer strength and selected crime statistics. Data is provided for Canada, provinces, territories and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) headquarters, training academy depot division and forensic labs, 1986 to 2023.

This statistic shows the rate of police officers in Canada in 2023, distinguished by province. In 2023, the Northwest Territories had the highest rate of police officers with 433.6 police officers per 100,000 population.

The objective of this survey is to collect baseline information on police personnel and expenditures to enable detection of historical trends as well as permit comparisons at the provincial/territorial and municipal levels. This survey collects data from police services across Canada under the authority of the Statistics Act, Revised Statutes of Canada, 1985, Chapter S-19. All municipal, provincial and federal police services in Canada are surveyed. Respondents provide the number of police officers employed by the service (full-time equivalents), categorized by rank (senior officers, non-commissioned officers, and constables) and by sex. Information on hirings, departures, and eligibility to retire is provided, as are data on the years of service, age, level of education at time of hire, and Aboriginal and visible minority status of police officers, and the official and non-official languages they speak. Police services also report their number of civilian employees, categorized by job type and by sex. Other questions collect data on operating expenditures broken down into salaries/wages, benefits, and other operating expenditures. Data from this survey provide information on total expenditures on policing and the number of officers in each province and in Canada as a whole, as well as the number of officers per 100,000 population. The data are intended for police services, for officials with responsibility for police budgets, for policy-makers with policing-related responsibilities, and for members of the general public.

Letter from Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Shandro formally advising the commanding officer of RCMP K Division that the firearm confiscation program is not an objective, priority or goal of the province or the Provincial Police Service.

Incident-based crime statistics (actual incidents, rate per 100,000 population, percentage change in rate, unfounded incidents, percent unfounded, total cleared, cleared by charge, cleared otherwise, persons charged, adults charged, youth charged / not charged), by detailed violations (violent, property, traffic, drugs, other Federal Statutes), Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police, 1998 to 2024.

Crime severity index (violent, non-violent, youth) and weighted clearance rates (violent, non-violent), Canada, provinces, territories and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1998 to 2024.