National Police Services: Building a Sustainable Future

Contact information

50 O'Connor Street
Suite 1424
Ottawa (Ontario)
K1P 6L2
Tel.: (613) 567-3200
Fax.: (613) 567-4627
E-mail: sussex@sussexcircle.com
Website: www.sussexcircle.com

Forward

This paper was commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to serve as background for discussions within the law enforcement and criminal justice communities on the future of National Police Services (NPS). It describes the origins and evolution of those Services and the sustainability challenges they face in terms of mandate, governance and funding.

The paper is mainly descriptive and analytical. While researching it, however, it became apparent that there is a major weakness in NPS governance. The governance model for NPS needs to reflect the objectives of the partners and the community it serves. Yet there is no central consultative committee representative of all internal and external partners, and no integrated forum for clients to discuss issues that encompass more than one service line.

Getting the governance structure right is an important prerequisite for dealing with the related sustainability challenges of mandate and funding. Therefore, the author recommends the establishment of a National Executive Committee for the NPS. This committee would provide strategic leadership of the NPS and ensure that the Services are able to meet the current and future needs of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities.

Main Points

• What's the issue
• Why it's important
• What needs to be done
• Recommendation

What's the issue

1. The RCMP's National Police Services (NPS) is the largest and often sole provider of specialized investigational support Services to over 500 law enforcement and criminal justice agencies across Canada.

2. The RCMP is accountable for the management and administration of NPS and its budget. In 2009-10 it invested $165 million (excluding employee benefits and grants and contributions) to provide these Services. More than 1,750 employees were involved in service delivery.

3. Expectations and demand for these Services from both law enforcement and the public sector are growing significantly and exceeding resourcing levels by a substantial margin. Money is short, and significant decisions need to be taken that will define the NPS of the future. The RCMP should not make those decisions alone.

4. Currently, however, there is no central consultative committee which is representative of all internal and external partners, and no integrated forum for clients to discuss issues that encompass more than one service line. If NPS is to meet the needs of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities and contribute to public safety, changes are required.

Why it's important

5. NPS includes numerous centres of expertise such as the forensic analysis of criminal evidence, criminal records information, identification Services, technological/ technical investigations and support, enhanced learning opportunities, and the collection and analysis of criminal information and intelligence.

6. These Services are widely used by the law enforcement and criminal justice communities, and by other parties.

• Police officers need to know if the car they stop is stolen, or if the driver is dangerous, unstable or wanted for any offences.
• Investigators and prosecutors rely on forensics to help identify or eliminate suspects, to link serial offences and to provide evidence that can withstand scrutiny in court.
• Parole boards need to have accurate information on an inmate's criminal history record to decide whether to release and on what conditions.
• Police, not-for-profit agencies and parents make use of national information and assistance in the investigation, location and return of a missing child to a parent or legal guardian.
• Employers and volunteer organizations need to know whether applicants have a criminal record.
• Border Services officers determine the admissibility of individuals by verifying identification and checking for violations of Canadian law.

7. The efficiency and effectiveness of many aspects of law enforcement depend upon the timeliness and quality of these Services. And criminal investigations increasingly require new and more complex investigative techniques.

What needs to be done

8. The RCMP's place and role in NPS is complex and challenging. As both the provider of the Services and as an important client for them, it must continually juggle four considerations:

• its administrative duties and responsibilities under the law;
• its significant financial support for NPS;
• its unique position as Canada's national police force; and
• the need to collaborate and work in strong partnership with the broader law enforcement and criminal justice communities.

9. Client consultation is critical for NPS operations considering that a large part of its client base is external to the RCMP. Numerous advisory groups regularly contribute advice and guidance of a tactical or strategic nature. Their focus is, however, on individual Services, rather than on NPS as a whole.

10. A sustainable future for the NPS depends upon the more active and continuing involvement of the broader law enforcement and criminal justice communities in:

• establishing a clear vision of the current and future direction of the Services, including how the Services should be delivered;
• defining their specific needs and establishing priorities among them;
• ensuring that adequate resources are available to keep pace with rising demands and new technologies; and
• championing NPS at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Recommendation

11. At issue is how to share decision-making in the provision of an important national service in a way that meets the communities' needs and respects Parliamentary authority. This is fundamentally an issue of governance - how decisions are made, how they are implemented and accountability for them. The governance model for NPS needs to reflect the objectives of the partners and the community it serves.

12. As a key step in responding to the sustainability challenges that the NPS face, a National Executive Committee (NEC) should be formed as the governing body for NPS. To implement the concept, however, decisions will be required in the following areas.

• Role, mandate and authority. The specific role, mandate and authority of this committee will require careful thought both by the RCMP and the broader community of NPS users. As the governing body, its role would be to provide strategic leadership to the NPS in terms of its vision for the future, needs and priorities, and resourcing. However, would it be a forum for advice, consultation, decision-making or a combination of the three? Annex 4 sets out a spectrum of involving others in decision-making. Where should the NEC appear on that spectrum?
• Membership of the NEC would be drawn from the broad law enforcement and criminal justice communities, with a focus on the users of the Services. A key challenge will be to strike the appropriate balance between adequate representation (which could lead to a large committee) and effective decision-making (which suggests a smaller one). Fifteen members may be the desirable maximum for a decision-making body.
• The Chair. Particular attention should be paid to the issue of who should chair the NEC and any committees it may choose to establish, and the process for appointing them. Under the CISC model, the NEC is chaired by the Commissioner of the RCMP. This would be appropriate for NPS as well.
• Relationships with other consultative bodies. As noted above, numerous advisory groups regularly contribute advice and guidance of a tactical or strategic nature. There are many opportunities for integration, including merging many of the technology-related groups.
• Committee support. The NEC will also require effective support and the resources to provide it. The kinds of support required include developing agendas that focus on strategic issues; researching and presentation of decision documents and oversight information; and follow-up to decisions.

Providing Services for Canada's law enforcement community

• Origins and evolution of National Police Services
• National Police Services today
• National Police Services governance

Origins and evolution of National Police Services

13. The RCMP has been providing Services to the broader law enforcement and criminal justice communities for more than a century. The origin of these Services can be traced back to 1898 when Parliament passed the Identification of Criminals Act and set up a Central Bureau in Ottawa where police forces could send the results of their examinations of criminals. Fingerprint and criminal history records bureaus were then established in 1908 and 1910 respectively and are now under the purview of Canadian Real time Identification Services.

14. Over the decades additional Services were offered. The Single Finger Print Collection was established in 1933, the Firearms Registry in 1935, the first forensic laboratory was built in Regina in 1937 and the RCMP Gazette was introduced in 1940 as a publication to share crime information and best practices. They came to be known collectively in the early 1950s as "national police Services" in recognition of the fact that they were being shared with all police forces across Canada.

15. With these Services, criminal identification and the methods available to police forces to combat crime became more accurate, thorough and standardized. As Canada's national police force, the RCMP assumed a leadership role in identifying needs, developing Services and making them available to the broader community.

16. During the early part of the 1960s, organized crime entered the national consciousness for the first time. Representatives from provincial and municipal police forces and the RCMP met to discuss ways and means of collecting and sharing information on organized crime activities.

17. In 1966, Attorneys General from the federal and provincial governments met to address their concerns about organized crime. In setting the stage for the conference, Prime Minister Lester Pearson wrote that "the federal government would like to discuss with the provinces possible means of improving federal-provincial co-operation in combating organized crime and to review the machinery for that purpose in order to make it more effective."

18. The conference served to define a modern, mature NPS. From those meetings an understanding emerged that existing Services such as fingerprint identification and criminal history records should be strengthened and that new ones should be added.

19. Matters of mandate, governance and funding, however, were not dealt with. The federal government's position was that it wished to advance the law and order agenda through consensus with the provinces, and that new or improved Services would be offered for the most part free of charge.

20. The objective was not only to ensure all police forces had access to the same Services regardless of their size, but also that police operations and investigations were integrated to the maximum extent possible. Integrated policing would be promoted through a common informatics backbone, common training and procedural doctrine and common databases.

21. The establishment of a central intelligence bureau was first proposed at the conference, and led to the creation of Criminal Intelligence Service Canada in 1970. The Canadian Police Information Centre began on-line operations in 1972, and the Canadian Police College opened in 1976. The Canadian Bomb Data Centre was also established during the 1970s.

22. The Missing Children's Registry was officially opened in 1986, and the National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre was established in 2003 as the law enforcement component of Canada's National Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet. The National DNA Data Bank began in 2000, the National Sex Offender Registry was created in 2004, followed by the Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services in 2005. In 2006 the federal government transferred responsibility for the Canadian Firearms Program to the RCMP.

23. For many NPS activities, the relationship with international stakeholders is essential to optimal performance and efficiency. This would include the sharing of information and intelligence as well as participation in communities of practice, technical and scientific working groups or joint task forces.

National Police Services today

24. Today's NPS provide expert and technical analysis, access to national information databases, information technology and information management systems, specialized training and development and timely and actionable intelligence.

25. It is made up of five core Services.

• Forensic Science and Identification Services (FSIS) provides investigational support to the law enforcement and criminal justice communities through forensic science Services, crime scene investigation, fingerprint identification, criminal record repositories, the National DNA Data Bank and the Canadian Police Information Centre CPIC.
• Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) ensures the timely production and exchange of criminal intelligence and information among its 380 member agencies, and is the centre of excellence for intelligence in support of the national law enforcement effort to detect, reduce and prevent organized and serious crime.
• The Canadian Police College (CPC) provides police leadership and management development programs, as well as advanced and specialized training in law enforcement, particularly in the areas of organized and multi-jurisdictional crime. The College is unique among NPS programs in that it operates partially on a cost recovery basis.
• The Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (CPCMEC) offers Services to law enforcement agencies and families of missing children, identifies victims of internet-facilitated sexual exploitation and investigates and assists in the prosecution of sexual offenders.
• The Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) provides direct operational and technical firearms-related support to law enforcement across Canada. It also oversees the administration of the Firearms Act and its related Regulations, serving lawful and responsible firearms users while targeting firearms use that is unsafe or criminal in nature.

26. Profiles for each of these Services are presented in Annex 1. In 2009-10 the RCMP invested $165 million (excluding employee benefits and grants and contributions) to provide these Services. More than 1,750 employees are involved in service delivery.

Source: TEAM, the RCMP financial and material management system, final expenditures for fiscal year 2009/10. The figures are exclusive of EBP and Grants and Contributions.

27. In addition to the five core Services, the RCMP provides a range of assistance to the law enforcement and criminal justice communities. Examples include the Canadian Bomb Data Centre, the National Sex Offender Registry and the Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System.

28. Partners' contributions of information are by far the most important input they make to NPS. Most of the information available to the CPIC Network, for example, is contributed by provincial, territorial and municipal agencies (including RCMP contract policing divisions). Partners also provide staff and expertise to NPS activities like the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, the Canadian Police College, Criminal Intelligence Service Canada and the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team.

National Police Services governance

29. NPS activities are a component of the Policing Support Services business line of the RCMP, and are administered within the RCMP's overall governance framework. Reporting to the Commissioner of the RCMP, the Deputy Commissioner of Policing Support Services oversees strategic direction and operations. The Commissioner reports to, and is accountable to, the Minister of Public Safety for the control and management of the RCMP and for all related matters.

30. Client consultation is critical for NPS operations considering that a full 70 per cent of its client base is external to the RCMP. Numerous advisory groups regularly contribute advice and guidance of a tactical or strategic nature. For example:

• The NPS Advisory Council provides strategic advice to the Commissioner of the RCMP through the Deputy Commissioner, Policing Support Services. The Council is made up of distinguished experts from fields such as law, science and government. Their mandate is to consider and advise on the overall direction and priorities for the NPS and its components. Appointments are recommended by the Deputy Commissioner who is an ex-officio observer.
• The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada is governed by the CISC National Executive Committee. The Committee is chaired by the Commissioner of the RCMP and consists of the chiefs and executives of Canada's major police and law enforcement agencies. They are responsible for providing strategic leadership and ensuring the long-term sustainability of CPIC).
• As the policy-making authority for the Canadian Police Information Centre, the CPIC Advisory Committee is responsible for establishing the scope and content of CPIC, how the system is used and regulated, and the criteria to determine which agencies are eligible to use the system. It is composed of members of major city police departments and federal and provincial law enforcement agencies and criminal justice partners. The chair is appointed by the Commissioner of the RCMP.
• The DNA Data Bank Advisory Committee is mandated by regulations to the DNA Identification Act to advise the Commissioner on any matter related to the establishment and operation of the national DNA data bank. Members are appointed by the Minister of Public Safety and include representatives of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, the police, legal, scientific and academic communities.
• The Canadian Police College Advisory Board provides the CPC with advice on a broad range of topics. It is made up of leaders and experts in policing and government, from a wide range of organizations including the three levels of government, various police Services, and the private sector. Members are appointed by the Director General of the CPC.
• The National Steering Committee (Child Exploitation) provides direction and focuses on developing and maintaining a national law enforcement strategy and education, awareness and prevention programs. Its membership is drawn from six federal partner departments and agencies.
• The Forensic Science and identification Services Advisory Committee provides strategic advice to the Assistant Commissioner on all matters related to the effective operation of Forensic Science and Identification Services. Membership consists of senior police and government officials, judicial representation, subject matter experts and academia.

31. Annex 2 provides an overview of the current NPS governance structure, including the main sources of strategic advice.

Building a sustainable future

• Previous reviews of the National Police Services
• The need for an integrated vision for the future
• The need for stronger client ownership of the Services
• The need for a sustainable funding model
• Overall

Previous reviews of the National Police Services

32. The NPS and its component programs have been the subject of a large number of external and internal studies and reviews over the years. A key theme is that historically NPS has been managed more as a discrete set of activities, rather than as an integrated whole.

33. Moving forward, NPS needs:

• an integrated vision for the future
• stronger client ownership of the Services, and
• a sustainable funding model.

34. These are fundamentally issues of governance - how decisions are made, how they are implemented and the accountability for them - and the related issues of mandate and resources. If NPS is to meet the needs of the law enforcement and criminal justice communities and contribute to public safety, changes are required.

The need for an integrated vision for the future

35. As noted earlier, recognizing that crime and criminals did not respect political borders, the original NPS vision was for a central repository of criminal information, one that all police forces could contribute to and one that all could call upon for assistance. Information and technology would be harnessed for the common good.

36. That vision remains valid and compelling today. There is a shared recognition that no jurisdiction can effectively address crime without appropriate mechanisms for accessing the knowledge and Services available from other police forces across Canada.

37. There are a number of justifications for coordinated national Services in support of police investigations and criminal justice administration. They include economies of scale, reduction of overlap and duplication between levels of government, assurance of a minimum standard of policing and problem solving on a national level. Information sharing and interoperability have been proven to solve crime.

38. However, as the Auditor General reported in 1990 despite the fact that a number of the Services are interrelated and complementary, they have evolved uniquely and operated independently. Each organization had defined differently its level of service and how it will operate. The Services lack a consolidated operating philosophy and a more integrated vision for the future.

39. Related to this is a lack of clarity about the mandate and scope of NPS. There is no single statutory authority for the NPS. Rather, the authority to provide the Services flows from a range of federal legislation and Treasury Board decisions.

The need for stronger client ownership of the Services

40. As a service provider, NPS engages in extensive client consultation to better align with stakeholder priorities and concerns. Numerous advisory groups regularly contribute advice and guidance of a tactical or strategic nature. Concerns have been raised, however, about the efficiency and the effectiveness of this governance structure.

41. A 2007 internal review of the NPS governance framework identified 28 committees involved in the current governance of various components of NPS, not all of which have been consistently active. Most (70%) were technology and systems focussed - others were more program and policy related. Taken together, there were more than 450 "seats" involved. One-half of these seats were filled by members from the RCMP, with the others drawn from municipal, provincial and other federal agencies, and from other sectors.

42. The review identified several weaknesses in the current governance structure that could affect the delivery of Services to clients. There was no central access point for clients, a duplication of governance structures, no central management of the governance process, and inconsistent engagement of regional/municipal leaders in strategic planning. The level of representation was also inappropriate in some instances.

43. The review concluded that the underlying cause was a governance structure that focuses on independent planning and development of Services. Committees were established in order to meet the needs of service lines that were, at the time, disparate.

44. Some service lines have different client bases and the governance bodies address issues specific to their respective clients. However in many cases the service lines share the same client base, face the same complex issues and deliver Services through the same infrastructure.

45. Yet there was no central consultative committee which was representative of all internal and external partners, and no integrated forum for clients to discuss issues that encompass more than one service line. A client advisory council might provide that forum. In addition, there are many opportunities for integration, including merging many of the technology-related groups.

46. The internal review echoed themes from the 1990 Auditor General's report. The Auditor General noted that user participation is vital to the success of service-oriented organizations. At that time there was no consistent approach concerning user participation and input. Greater user participation was needed as an input to the design, development and operation of these Services.

47. In 2000 the Auditor General acknowledged that the RCMP had taken a number of initiatives to improve service, but concluded that the levels of service provided to the Canadian law enforcement community did not meet the needs of its clients. Action was needed to eliminate backlogs in many of the Services and to improve their efficiency.

48. A more recent review of governance has noted that there is some ambiguity in the roles and mandates of certain committees. Are they simply forums for consultation, or are they decision-making bodies?

49. Governance works when the mission is agreed, roles are clearly delineated, accountabilities are well understood, as are the relationships between governance bodies. Conversely, where these relationships and responsibilities are murky, governance suffers.

The need for a sustainable funding model

50. From their inception, NPS were offered for the most part free of charge. However, over time the cost of these Services has become a serious consideration. Some of the issues facing NPS are linked to the current climate of fiscal restraint that exists at all levels of government. The issue of increasing costs to keep pace with new technology is important to all NPS partners.

51. As part of its broader review of federal programs, the 1984 Ministerial Task Force on Program Review (the Neilson Task Force) raised the issue of the federal government's role in providing national police Services and promoting national standards of policing. Among other things, the Task Force emphasized changes to policy regarding costing arrangements with clients. While its findings were not implemented, the issues of efficiencies and cost recovery were serious considerations in how the RCMP would conduct business in the future.

52. In 1990 the Auditor General reported that the majority of these Services were federally funded. However, from time to time, charges had been levied for components of certain Services. The AG noted that the fact that these Services are provided free of charge adds a unique dimension to the demands placed upon the RCMP.

53. The February 1992 Budget established cost recovery targets and guidelines for federal organizations including the RCMP. The objectives were to promote improved cost effectiveness, a better balance of the financial burden between the general taxpayer and the direct beneficiary and improved service delivery.

54. As a result, regulations were introduced allowing for cost recovery of a range of NPS, including some forensic laboratory Services, fingerprinting Services and criminal record verification. A distinction was made between Services provided for criminal investigation purposes - which would not face user fees - and "civil" Services provided to the public and non-police agencies - which would be cost-recovered.

55. The move to a cost recovery model for the Canadian Police College in 1994 illustrates the challenges associated with the move to tuition fees. In 2000 the AG concluded that the change in approach affected the College and its clientele both positively and negatively. Course planning and scheduling improved which enabled the College to deliver training Services more cost-effectively. However, many police forces saw the change as a downloading of costs to their jurisdictions. Given the budgetary problems that many were facing, a number of them sent fewer students than they did previously.

56. In 1997-98 the Solicitor General's Office and the RCMP consulted with the NPS partners in each province and territory on NPS financing. The review concluded that the preferred option by most police and some provincial and territorial governments was funding NPS through cost-shared agreements. User fees, targeted financial contributions or private sector investment were not the preferred options.

57. Another point of consensus was that the NPS should be considered as an integrated funding unit, financed with a dedicated budget but continuing to operate within the RCMP's organizational structure. Having NPS programs delivered within the RCMP reduced infrastructure costs.

58. A 2003 strategic review of the NPS noted the growing gap between the demands being placed on them and the resources available to meet those demands. The review recognized the pressures on budgets at all levels of government and the consequential difficulty of pursuing any additional revenue generation or cost recovery opportunities at the time.

59. Historically, the RCMP has used internal reallocation of resources to narrow the gap. In the current fiscal environment, however, all RCMP resources are under significant pressure as are those in the broader law enforcement and criminal justice communities.

Overall

60. In 1990 the Auditor General proposed that the Solicitor General of Canada and the RCMP re-examine current policy and practices concerning the RCMP's support Services to ensure that the needs of the law enforcement community will be met in the future. To that end, the AG proposed that the questions of service levels, cost arrangements and user participation should be explored as part of the strategy to take the Services into the future.

61. By 2000 the Auditor General concluded that the arrangement between the federal government and the provinces set in 1966 for the Services needed to be rethought. The AG concluded that it was time for a clear agreement among all the players in the law enforcement community - in the federal, provincial and municipal governments - on level of service, funding arrangements, user input, management and accountability. A new agreement would require the collaboration of all parties.

62. On a related note, in 2010 the Auditor General examined five federal organizations with the largest information technology expenditures, including the RCMP. The RCMP had identified the significant risks associated with its aging systems and completed a multi-year investment plan that defined and prioritized ongoing and future work. It determined that the costs involved are significant and that it lacks sufficient resources to complete critical investments.

63. If aging information technology is not addressed in a timely manner, the systems may not have the capacity to meet current and future business needs. This has important implications for the users of NPS if there is a loss of capacity, if applications become less efficient or if new ones cannot be developed.

Conclusion and recommendation

64. The NPS provides essential front-line operational support Services to the entire Canadian law enforcement and criminal justice communities. The efficiency and effectiveness of many aspects of law enforcement depend upon the timeliness and quality of these Services. And criminal investigations increasingly require new and more complex investigative techniques.

65. The RCMP's place and role in NPS is complex and challenging. It must continually juggle four considerations:

• its administrative duties and responsibilities under the law;
• its significant financial support for NPS;
• its unique position as Canada's national police force; and
• the need to collaborate and work in strong partnership with the broader law enforcement and criminal justice communities.

66. Historically NPS has been managed more as a discrete set of activities, rather than as an integrated whole. A sustainable future depends upon the more active and continuing involvement of the broader law enforcement and criminal justice communities in:

• establishing a clear vision of the current and future direction of the Services, including how the Services should be delivered;
• defining their specific needs and establishing priorities among them;
• ensuring that adequate resources are available to keep pace with rising demands and new technologies; and
• championing NPS at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Recommendation

67. At issue is how to share decision-making in the provision of an important national service in a way that meets the communities' needs and respects Parliamentary authority. This is fundamentally an issue of governance - how decisions are made, how they are implemented and accountability for them. The governance model for NPS needs to reflect the objectives of the partners and the community it serves.

68. As a key step in responding to the sustainability challenges that the NPS face, a National Executive Committee (NEC) should be formed as the governing body for NPS. To implement the concept, however, decisions will be required in the following areas.

• Role, mandate and authority. The specific role, mandate and authority of this committee will require careful thought both by the RCMP and the broader community of NPS users. As the governing body, its role would be to provide strategic leadership to the NPS in terms of its vision for the future, needs and priorities, and resourcing. However, would it be a forum for advice, consultation, decision-making or a combination of the three? Annex 4 sets out a spectrum of involving others in decision-making. Where should the NEC appear on that spectrum?
• Membership of the NEC would be drawn from the broad law enforcement and criminal justice communities, with a focus on the users of the Services. A key challenge will be to strike the appropriate balance between adequate representation (which could lead to a large committee) and effective decision-making (which suggests a smaller one). Fifteen members may be the desirable maximum for a decision-making body.
• The Chair. Particular attention should be paid to the issue of who should chair the NEC and any committees it may choose to establish, and the process for appointing them. Under the CPIC. CISC model, the NEC is chaired by the Commissioner of the RCMP. This would be appropriate for NPS as well.
• Relationships with other consultative bodies. As noted above, numerous advisory groups regularly contribute advice and guidance of a tactical or strategic nature. There are many opportunities for integration, including merging many of the technology-related groups.
• Committee support. The NEC will also require effective support and the resources to provide it. The kinds of support required include developing agendas that focus on strategic issues; researching and presentation of decision documents and oversight information; and follow-up to decisions.

Annexes

• Annex 1: Profiles of National Police Services
  • The Forensic Science and Identification Services (FS&IS)
  • The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC)
  • The Canadian Police College (CPC)
  • The Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (CPCMEC)
  • The Canadian Firearms Program (CFP)
  • Other National Police Services

Annex 1: Profiles of National Police Services

The Forensic Science and Identification Services (FS&IS)

The Forensic Science and Identification Services (FS&IS) mandate is to provide quality investigative support Services for front line policing. FS&IS provides a wide range of forensic programs and identification Services to clients in Canada and internationally through forensic science Services, crime scene forensic identification, fingerprint identification and criminal record repositories, the National DNA Data Bank and the Canadian Police Information Centre.

FS&IS programs and Services form an essential part of virtually every criminal investigation - it assists investigators to solve crime. It strives to be leading edge in developing processes and methods to ensure that the law enforcement community receives quality and timely support in fighting crime.

While the policy centre for FS&IS is located in Ottawa, the forensic laboratory system operates as a single laboratory with six delivery sites across Canada. These sites are located in Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Halifax and Ottawa.

The National DNA Data Bank assists law enforcement agencies in solving crimes by linking crimes where there are no suspects, helping to eliminate suspects where there is no match between crime scene DNA and profiles in the Data Bank, and determining if there is a serial offender.

As of January 4, 2011 the National DNA Data Bank held 209,135 samples within the Convicted Offenders Index (COI) and 62,138 samples within the Crime Scene Index (CSI). This has resulted in 17,658 Offender to CSI hits and 2,406 CSI to CSI hits.

FS&IS also maintains the Central Repository of Canadian Criminal Records. This repository holds four million records, supported by an additional 36 million documents. In 2010 there were more than 700,000 criminal fingerprint submissions, of which 18 per cent were new records.

The Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) has been referred to as the backbone of the criminal justice system. It provides computerized storage and retrieval of information on crimes and criminals. Data banks include drivers' licences and vehicle plates, stolen vehicles and boats, warrants for arrest, missing persons and property, criminal history records, fingerprints, firearms registration, missing children, and other subjects.

All jurisdictions contribute to CPIC databanks, with provincial and municipal jurisdictions (including RCMP contract policing) providing most of the information. As populations increase so does the usage. In 1972 there were about 35 access points. By 2009 CPIC held 10 million records and processed over 209 million query requests through 40,000 points of access.

The National Integrated Interagency Information Centre (N-III) provides police to police occurrence records awareness and sharing among all Canadian police Services through its Police Information Portal (PIP). PIP is currently indexing 30 million police occurrences and it is accessed by Canadian police agencies over 1 million times per month. N-III also provides a query tool that allows Canadian public safety agencies at the federal and provincial levels to gain access to the information indexed by PIP.

The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC)

In 2009-10 FS&IS had a total of 909 employees and an annual budget of $95 million. The Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) ensures the timely production and exchange of criminal intelligence and information among its 380 member agencies, and is the centre of excellence for intelligence in support of the national law enforcement effort to detect, reduce and prevent organized and serious crime.

CISC is an umbrella organization of all Canadian law enforcement agencies. It consists of a central bureau in Ottawa and ten provincial bureaus. The central bureau is under the stewardship of the RCMP, while the provincial bureaus fall under the stewardship of their respective provincial governing bodies.

The bureaus collect intelligence and information from member agencies as well as collate, maintain, share and produce intelligence and information using the Automated Criminal Intelligence Information System (ACIIS). ACIIS is the Canadian law enforcement community's national database for criminal information and intelligence on organized and serious crime - the only such repository in Canada. More than 260 user agencies and over 2,400 users are actively engaged with the use of the ACIIS.

CISC's key products include the integrated National Threat Assessment (which provides a comprehensive evaluation of the Canadian criminal marketplace), the National Strategic Firearms Threat Assessment (which evaluates the scope, magnitude and main characteristics of the illicit firearms market) and the Report on Organized Crime (which delves into the foundations, methods and trends behind organized crime and threats posed by it).

CISC member agencies fall into three categories.

• Category I - Police Agency. The agency has full police officer authority provided under a Canadian federal or provincial police act. The primary role of the agency is law enforcement and the agency contributes to the criminal intelligence process.
• Category II - Agency with Specific Law Enforcement Role. The agency has specific but limited law enforcement responsibilities. Its authority is provided under specific federal or provincial legislation, for example Customs Act, Immigration Act, Provincial Wildlife Act.
  Category II Membership may be granted to a foreign law enforcement or intelligence agency if, as determined by the respective Provincial Executive Committee, it is deemed to be in the best interest of the broader criminal intelligence community.
• Category III - Agency with Role Complementary to Law Enforcement. The agency has no direct law enforcement authority but provides assistance to law enforcement agencies.

As CISC's governing body, the National Executive Committee provides strategic leadership to ensure that CISC is able to fulfill its operational mandate. The committee is comprised of 24 leaders from Canada's law enforcement community and is chaired by the Commissioner of the RCMP.

In 2009-10 CISC had 72 employees and an annual budget of $4.7 million.

The Canadian Police College (CPC)

The Canadian Police College (CPC) provides police leadership and management development programs, as well as advanced and specialized training in law enforcement, particularly in the areas of organized and multi-jurisdictional crime.

Each year about 200 sessions of more than 55 advanced and specialized police courses and workshops are provided to nearly 4,000 Canadian and foreign police officers. Training includes investigative techniques, high-tech crime, forensic identification, explosives disposal/investigations, police management and leadership policing in Aboriginal communities.

The CPC is a centre of integration: it is one of the few permanent Canadian learning institutions that bring police officers face-to-face from across Canada and around the world. Candidates share best practices and lessons learned and develop mentoring and working relationships with law enforcement officers from many jurisdictions, leading to increased abilities and a better understanding of their work.

The CPC Advisory Board provides the CPC with advice on a broad range of topics. It is made up of leaders and experts in policing and government, from a wide range of organizations including the three levels of government, various police Services, and the private sector. Members are appointed by the Director General of the CPC.

In 2009-10 the CPC has a total of 113 employees and an annual budget of $12.8 million. Canadian police Services also contribute over 175 subject matter experts at no charge in support of the CPC's training mandate, representing a significant foregone expenditure.

The College is unique among NPS programs in that it operates partially on a cost recovery basis. It recovers a large portion of its operating budget from revenues generated. Those revenues are approximately $5.5 million from domestic and $1.2 million from international sources.

The Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (CPCMEC)

The Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (CPCMEC) seeks to reduce the vulnerability and exploitation of children by identifying victimized children; investigating and assisting in the prosecution of offenders; and, strengthening the capacity of municipal, territorial, provincial, federal, and international policing partners through training, education, and investigative support.

It is comprised of two distinct yet supportive Centres: the National Child Exploitation Centre (NCECC) and National Missing Children Services (NMCS). These Centres work together to provide investigative assistance to local, municipal, regional, national and international policing partners. They also work with non-government, government, and industry partners who are dedicated to assisting youth.

The NCECC is Canada's contact point for files involving Canadian victims and suspects. The Centre provides a number of Services to law enforcement including the ability to respond immediately to a child at risk, the coordination of investigative files, expertise in victim identification techniques, management of multi-jurisdictional cases, operationally relevant research, and training specific to online child sexual exploitation investigations.

The NCECC also manages and provides training for the Child Exploitation Tracking System, an intelligence tool that enhances information sharing among Canadian investigators. This system is used at 41 locations throughout Canada and holds information on over 10,200 investigations.

The NMCS offers Services to law enforcement agencies and the families of missing children, including a travel reunification program, photo-age progression service, training for law enforcement and updates on the Amber Alert program. The NMCS is linked to all Canadian police and related agencies through the Canadian Police Information Centre, to United States police agencies through the National Crime Information Center, and to most foreign police agencies in over 40 countries through Interpol.

In 2003, NMCS assisted national and international police agencies with 636 investigations. 56 per cent of these investigations were parental abduction incidents while 20 per cent were runaway incidents.

The National Steering Committee provides direction to the NCECC and focuses on developing and maintaining a national law enforcement strategy and education, awareness and prevention programs. Its membership is drawn from six federal partner departments and agencies: the RCMP, Public Safety, Industry, Justice, Border Services and Statistics Canada.

In 2009-10 the Canadian Police Centre for Missing and Exploited Children has 51 employees and an annual budget of $6.0 million.

The Canadian Firearms Program (CFP)

The Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) is a multi-jurisdictional program that provides direct support to law enforcement by offering Services such as firearms tracing and identification, investigative support, expert advice and training in firearms-related prosecutions, and disposal of firearms.

The CFP also provides program support for all domestic and international police Services relative to Canadian firearms registration and licensing of individuals and businesses, The CFP works with the provinces and territories, national organizations, and many firearms and hunter education instructors across Canada in prompting safe storage, display, transportation and handling of firearms.

The Canadian Firearms Centre was created in 1996 to oversee the administration of the Firearms Act and regulations. In 2003, the Canada Firearms Centre was established as a stand-alone agency within the portfolio of Public Safety Canada. In 2006 the responsibility for the Centre was transferred to the RCMP. This change was in keeping with the Government's objective of reducing gun crime while allowing Canadian police authorities to more effectively coordinate gun control activities with other crime control measures.

In 2008, the Canada Firearms Centre and Firearms Support Services Directorate (FSSD) were brought together under the umbrella of Policing Support Services as a stronger and more comprehensive Canadian Firearms Program (CFP). This Program provides direct operational and technical firearms-related support to law enforcement across Canada. It also oversees the administration of the Firearms Act and its related Regulations, serving lawful and responsible firearms users while targeting firearms use that is unsafe or criminal in nature.

The Canadian Firearms Registry Online, a subset of the Canadian Firearms Information System, is available to Canadian police agencies via the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system to assist them when responding to calls and conducting investigations. In this searchable application, police officers may query the name, address or firearms licence number of an individual or the serial number or registration certificate number of a firearm. There were more than 4 million queries to the database in 2009-2010.

The CFC Partners Committee focuses on maintaining uniform application of the legislation across the country. Its members are the Canadian Firearms Officers from each province and territory, senior CFP staff, Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian Border Services Agency.

In 2009-10 the Canadian Firearms Program has 630 employees and an annual budget of $46.9 million.

Other National Police Services

Other National Police Services. In addition to the five core Services, the RCMP provides a range of assistance to the law enforcement and criminal justice communities. Examples include:

• The Canadian Bomb Data Centre (CBDC) is a centre of policing expertise on the criminal use of explosives; safety measures to take against explosives; detecting explosives; rendering safe explosive devices; disposing of explosives; and investigating post-blast scenes. A part of the RCMP's Explosives Disposal and Technology Program, the CBDC is primarily a resource for Canadian and international police Services and partner agencies engaged in combating the illegal use of explosives. Police Services can consult with the experts at the CBDC for assistance, advice and access to an extensive library of information about explosives disposal and post-blast investigation.
• The National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR) is a national registration system for sex offenders who have been convicted of designated sex offences and ordered by the courts to report annually to police. The RCMP is responsible for the administration and maintenance of the database, including ongoing database developments and improvements, policy development, program reviews and staff training. Police Services across Canada are responsible for inputting the data and enforcing the registration provisions. The database is accessible to all accredited Canadian police agencies through a provincial/territorial registration centre.

  Recent amendments to the Criminal Code and other Acts under Bill S-2 (Protecting Victims from Sex Offenders Act) have received Royal Assent and will significantly strengthen the NSOR and its ability to enhance public safety.

• Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (ViCLAS) is a computer system that assists specially trained investigators to identify serial crimes and criminals by focusing on the linkages that exist among crimes committed by the same offender. The system is used Canada-wide as well as in one state in the USA and nine other countries.

Police Services across Canada contribute to ViCLAS by submitting information about the violent crime investigations undertaken in their jurisdiction. In Ontario and Quebec, legislation has made it mandatory for police Services to submit information to ViCLAS.

Although all Canadian police Services contribute information to ViCLAS, only the ViCLAS specialists analyse and interpret the information in the system to find patterns and linkages in the reports of violent crime. The ViCLAS specialists are experienced police investigators who work collaboratively to ensure that their conclusions are reasonable. Many of the ViCLAS specialists are RCMP regular members while others work for the Ontario Provincial Police, the Sûreté du Québec and a number of other municipal police Services.

The RCMP National Policy Centre is responsible for the administration and maintenance of ViCLAS. This includes ongoing database developments and improvements, policy development, program reviews and staff training.

Date modified:

2012-02-29