Public losing confidence in the RCMP

Public confidence in Canada’s national police force has dropped “significantly” over the past five years, according to a new poll conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television.

While a solid majority of Canadians believe RCMP officers treat the public fairly and equitably, they hold a dimmer view of how the force treats its employees.

Less than two-thirds of Canadians believe the force can resolve issues surrounding alleged harassment of female officers, the pollster reported.

“I think the headline is ‘Another Annus Horribilis’ when it comes to public opinion. There has been no improvement,” said John Wright, senior vice-president of Ipsos Reid. “This is our brand to the world, and yet they don’t seem to be able to get it right in our own country.”

A spokeswoman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said Monday that the government’s proposed Enhanced RCMP Accountability Act, introduced in 2012, will help to restore pride in the force.

“This bill will strengthen the review and complaints body for the RCMP, establish a process for handling serious criminal issues involving RCMP officers, and streamline the management of RCMP human resources,” Julie Carmichael said in an email.

Carmichael said the minister’s office was reviewing a plan turned in by RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson on Dec. 11 to address gender equity issues within the force.

Toews sent Paulson a tersely worded letter in late November demanding that the commissioner address the “troubling” results of a gender-based audit of the RCMP’s workforce. Among other things, the audit found that the number of female cadets graduating from the Depot division had dropped and that female officers were jaded by the promotional process.

The minister will respond to the RCMP’s plan “in due course,” Carmichael said Monday.

According to the poll results, only 46 per cent of Canadians said they believe senior leadership of the force is doing either a “good” or “great” job. That’s down from 61 per cent when a similar poll was done in 2007.

Front-line officers scored better, with 69 per cent of poll respondents saying they believe they’re doing a “good” or “great” job. But that, too, is down compared to five years ago when 82 per cent answered that way.

The force scored well in terms of the perception of how Mounties interact with the public. Seventy-four per cent of Canadians said they believe the RCMP is a professional force that treats the public fairly and equitably.

But when it comes to how the force deals with its own employees, only 63 per cent of Canadians said they believe they’re treated fairly and equitably.

Canadians are also tentative about the ability of senior leadership in the RCMP to resolve problems surrounding allegations of systemic harassment within the workplace. Only 63 per cent polled said they were confident this could happen.

“Whether it be inequality of women, the (post-traumatic stress) that some of them have faced, you look at this and in many ways it’s so counter-intuitive to the Canadian way,” Wright said.

Excluding Ontario and Quebec, which have their own provincial police forces, residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan had the most favourable views of the RCMP, followed by Albertans and Atlantic Canadians. British Columbians had the most negative views.

The survey of 1,021 Canadians was conducted from Dec. 7 to 12. The poll is considered accurate to within 3.5 percentage points.

Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Douglas Quan