Police personnel and expenditures

There were 69,438 police officers in Canada on May 15, 2011, up by 188 officers from 2010. Police strength, as measured by the rate of officers per capita, decreased 1% in 2011 to 201 officers per 100,000 population. Despite the 2011 decline, police strength has generally increased over the past decade, while both the volume and severity of police-reported crime have been falling.

Crime rate and police officers, Canada

Chart description: Crime rate and police officers, Canada

Rates of police strength were relatively stable across the provinces from 2010 to 2011, ranging from a 1% increase in Prince Edward Island to a 2% decrease in New Brunswick and British Columbia.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba reported the highest rates of officers per 100,000 population among the provinces in 2011, while the lowest rates were found in Prince Edward Island and Alberta.

As in previous years, the highest rate of police strength among census metropolitan areas (CMAs) was reported in Saint John, followed by Regina and Thunder Bay. The lowest rates were found in Kelowna and Moncton.

The number of female officers across Canada continued to increase in 2011, with 285 more than the previous year. In contrast, there were 97 fewer male officers compared with 2010. Women represented about 20% of all police officers in 2011, compared with 2% 30 years earlier.

Police are solving more crimes than in the past. The weighted clearance rate rose for the seventh consecutive year in 2010, to 39%. This measure represents the proportion of crimes solved by police, factoring in the seriousness of individual offences.

Data on weighted clearance rates are presented at the police service level rather than at the CMA level. Among police services in areas with more than 100,000 population, Durham Regional Police (Oshawa area) reported the highest weighted clearance rate in 2010, at 48%.

Police service operating expenditures in Canada totalled $12.6 billion in 2010. After adjusting for inflation, this represented a 1% increase over the previous year, the 14th consecutive increase in constant dollars.

Note: Information on police personnel and expenditures is collected through the annual Police Administration Survey of police services. Information on the Crime Severity Index and weighted clearance rates is collected through the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. An incident is considered cleared, or solved, by police if an accused person has been identified, whether that person is formally charged or dealt with by other means such as extrajudicial measures. To enhance the comparability of clearance rates among police services, a measure called the "weighted clearance rate" has been created. For the calculation of the weighted clearance rate, each offence is given a weight based on the seriousness of that offence, the same concept used in the Crime Severity Index. For example, serious crimes solved by police count for more than the solving of less serious crimes.

Available on CANSIM: table 254-0002.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3301.

The report, Police Resources in Canada, 2011 (85-225-X, free), is now available. From the Key resource module of our website under Publications, choose All subjects, then Crime and justice.

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