Police personnel and expenditures

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Canada's complement of police officers recorded its second largest annual increase over the past 30 years in 2007. This resulted in the most police per capita, 195 per 100,000 population, since 1993.

As of May 15, 2007, the nation's police forces employed 64,134 officers, a 2.7% increase from the previous year. Ontario and British Columbia alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total gain of about 1,700 male and female officers.

Police strength in Canada increased steadily during the 1960s and 1970s, peaking in 1975 at 206 officers for every 100,000 population. It then declined slightly over the following 20 years, but has been on the rise over the past decade. The 2007 rate was 5% lower than the peak, but 2% higher than in 2006.

Police strength in Canada was well below that in many other industrialized nations. For example, police strength ranges from 222 to 270 officers per 100,000 population in the United States, Australia, and England and Wales.

Since 1997, all provinces have recorded increases in police strength, with the biggest gains in Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan.

For the seventh year in a row, Saskatchewan reported the highest rate, 207 officers per 100,000 population, followed by Manitoba and Quebec. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are among the provinces with the highest crime rates in the country, while Quebec has one of the lowest.

The lowest rates of police strength were reported in Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta.

Among census metropolitan areas, Thunder Bay had the highest rate, followed by Saint John, Winnipeg and Montréal. The lowest rates were in Saguenay, Québec, Kingston and Gatineau.

Canada had 11,853 female police officers in 2007, up 6% from the previous year. The number of male officers rose 2%. Women now account for about 1 in 5 officers, compared with about 1 in 10 a decade ago.

Police strength, the volume and type of crimes, and the complexity of police investigations are among the many factors that may affect clearance rates, defined as the proportion of all crimes solved by police. Over the past 30 years, police have consistently cleared about 1 in every 3 crimes reported to them. In 2006, the overall clearance rate was 36%.

However, police solve violent crimes at a much higher rate. In 2006, police cleared 72% of all violent crimes, up from 69% in 2004. Since peaking at 76% in the mid-1990s, clearance rates for violent crimes had generally been declining.

In 2006, spending on policing totalled almost $10 billion. This was a 4.4% increase over 2005 after adjusting for inflation, and the 10th consecutive increase in policing costs in constant dollars.

Available on CANSIM: tables 254-0002 and 254-0003.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3301.

The report, Police Resources in Canada, 2007 (85-225-XIE, free), is now available on our website. From the Publications module, choose Free Internet publications, then Crime and Justice.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-800-387-2231; 613-951-9023), Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

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