State of Canada's Policing Services

Canadians have a long tradition of supporting our police forces. The RCMP is a national symbol and Canadian trust in a our police forces is what separates us from the US. We tough gun laws and when we need assistance we depend on our police forces. Historically, Canada's police forces have served us well but recently scandals have rocked all of Canada's major policing organizations and shaken are trust in those whose are supposed to be protecting and serving us.

The recent resignation of the RCMP Commissioner is just a small part of the problems effecting policing organizations. Canada's police forces have failed to adapt to new realities. First, organized crime is more tempting than ever to work for. Second, police forces have become increasingly politicized. Police forces should not be lobbying for new powers and they often have taken the same side of far-right politicians who want less restrictions on police and allowing police officers alone to use their discretion when dealing with law-breakers without having to face any consequences.

These attitudes give some police officers the excuse to abuse their power. It is the kind of abuse that uses over aggressive force to make arrests. It is also the kind of abuse that misrepresents Canadians like Arar, who are deported to countries like Syria because of their mistakes.

The abuse is also happening in the higher ranks where police forces are close-knit organizations that don't communicate their mistakes to the public. This secrecy forces the truth to be revealed only through public commissions. The recent RCMP scandal is just one scandal that garnished mainstream national media coverage and all police forces need more citizen oversight of their organizations to make them accountable without having to rely solely on public inquiries.