"It looks like the RCMP has acknowledged that they have problems. That’s good! Now they have to find solutions" July 19 Canadian News update + commentary
to many law enforcement experts that the 21st century RCMP is simply trying to be too many things to too many people
The controversy swirling around the RCMP seems to be getting more intense; so much so that some politicians and senior officers are considering a total reboot of Canada’s national police force.
The concept that’s gaining renewed interest, is that the RCMP should get out of the business of frontline day-to-day policing and focus on things like national security, terrorism, cyber crime and, of course, organized crime.
The thinking is the RCMP would become a Canadian version of the FBI, concentrating on issues of national importance, because it appears to many law enforcement experts that the 21st century RCMP is simply trying to be too many things to too many people, causing friction and frustration within the force and eroding the confidence of the Canadian public.
This is, however, nowhere close to a done deal.
Most provinces, territories and Indigenous communities have contracts with the RCMP to provide provincial and local policing and it’s likely that some or all of those jurisdictions would want to maintain the status quo, or be compensated to their satisfaction.
That’s all subject to negotiation, but the important thing is that something has to change.
Even newly appointed RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme admits that Force has faced a number of challenges that have affected its sustainability and ability to deliver.
It looks like the government and the RCMP have acknowledged that they have problems. That’s good!
Now they have to find solutions!