SECU Committee Report
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Mr. Daryl Kramp, M.P. Dear Mr. Kramp, On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am pleased to provide you with the Government’s response to the recommendations in the Fourth Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, Economics of Policing. At the outset, I would like to thank you and the entire Committee for undertaking this important work on the future of policing and to thank the many witnesses who appeared before the Committee. The Report provides valuable insights and puts forward constructive recommendations to continue improving the efficiency and effectiveness of police services across Canada. As identified in the Report, drivers of policing costs encompass more than finances and salaries, and, include for example, increased calls for service due to social disorder and mental health issues; the changing nature of crime; and demands placed by the criminal justice system. In general, there is considerable alignment between the Committee’s recommendations and current and planned Government initiatives to strengthen policing and public safety in Canada. In January 2013, on behalf of all Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for Justice and Public Safety, my predecessor hosted the first “Summit on the Economics of Policing: Sustaining Canada’s Policing Advantage”. The Summit brought together over 250 participants, representing a wide range of stakeholders and experts in order to: increase awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing police; provide practical information on improving efficiency and effectiveness; and strengthen the foundation for innovation in Canadian policing. Feedback from Summit participants was overwhelmingly positive. During the Summit, there was agreement on the framework for the Shared Forward Agenda, namely, increased information sharing between police stakeholders, increased policing research and a focus on the following three pillars for police innovation in Canada: (1) efficiencies within police services; (2) new models of community safety; and (3) efficiencies within the justice system. Public Safety Canada is working with all provinces and territories, the three national police associations and other policing stakeholders in order to strengthen policing in Canada. The objectives of the Shared Forward Agenda are to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of policing in Canada; encourage learning, innovation and the application of best practices; and contribute to improved public safety outcomes and social well-being. The strategy is guided by the principles of working cooperatively in those areas where it makes sense to do so, while respecting jurisdictional responsibilities, and adopting a comprehensive and holistic approach to public safety. Please find below the Government Response to the Parliamentary Committee organized along key themes identified in the Report: Information Sharing and Research Our Government supports Recommendation 10 that Public Safety Canada enhance the coordination of information and research sharing between police services and to create a central database of such information. Public Safety Canada launched, in August 2013, the Index of Policing Initiatives. The Index is a searchable, evergreen, online database of over 140 innovative initiatives submitted by police services and governments from across Canada. The goal of this database is to allow police services to learn from one another’s best practices. My Department will continue to work with governments and policing partners to regularly update the Index in order to ensure it remains an up-to-date and useful tool. To this end, calls for new and innovative initiatives will be made yearly. In fall 2013, the second call for submissions to the Index was launched with a special focus on best practices regarding police interactions with individuals living with mental illness. Public Safety Canada is working on enhancing policing research in Canada and has been collaborating with the three national police associations, Canadian and international academics, federal, provincial and territorial government representatives, and other policing partners, to seek input on a future Canadian policing research network and to identify research priorities for the policing community in Canada. In addition, a prototype of a policing research and information web presence is under development. Efficiencies Within Police Services Recognizing that policing is primarily a matter of provincial jurisdiction, the Government of Canada is coordinating a variety of collective efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of police services in Canada. In line with Recommendation 5 to examine core policing duties to improve police services, my Department is leading a review of the use of police competencies. It is also working with Statistics Canada in leading a review of current police performance measures and the development of new indicators linked to efficiency and effectiveness. Similarly, my Department is supporting Ontario in its efforts to collect and synthesize work being done across the country and internationally to examine the extent to which current metrics gauge police success and to identify best practices. In reference to Recommendations 6 and 8 that police services seek greater interagency cooperation, opportunities for sharing equipment and facilities and to continue examining ways of generating revenue beyond government funding, Public Safety Canada, through the Index of Policing Initiatives, is collecting innovative approaches related to these activities while also encouraging police stakeholders and academics to undertake further research. As an example, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is collaborating with a number of partners to provide integrated service delivery in several areas of policing, including: Integrated Homicide Teams; the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams; Drug Recognition Expert Training; and Integrated Border Enforcement Teams. Other examples from the RCMP include National Police Services programs which increase cooperation and collaboration of police agencies. The centrally coordinated Canadian Police Information Centre Database (CPIC) provides equal access for all police services across Canada to valuable policing data, including police reports, intelligence, vehicle registration and firearms information. Central delivery of CPIC results in a high degree of efficiency as the cost to reproduce a similar service, even at the provincial level, would be prohibitive. In Recommendation 7, the Committee highlights the importance of e-learning as a cost effective way for training officers. Our Government agrees with these findings and for this reason, Public Safety Canada and the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN) co-hosted the Police Education and Learning Summit in September 2013. Drawing on the results of the event, my Department is working cooperatively with the CPKN and other partners to advance e-learning best practices and improve police training curricula. The RCMP is also examining how e-training can be further incorporated in its current officer training programs. To this end, the RCMP, along with Defence Research and Development Canada, are currently undertaking research exploring efficiencies in firearms training and annual firearms qualifications through the use of synthetic testing and training environments. In Recommendation 1, the Committee underlines that governments constitutionally responsible for health care need to work in collaboration with local police forces in dealing with people with mental health problems. Our Government is supportive of efforts by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Mental Health Commission of Canada to focus on the mental health of police officers and on improving police interactions with individuals living with mental illness. This compliments a wide-range of actions underway by police services to improve training and operations with respect to interactions with individuals with mental illness. Further, our Government is collecting, through the Index of Policing Initiatives, best practices involving the increasing use and reliance on civilians and special constables and other human resourcing methods to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of police services, as per Recommendation 9 regarding the role of civilian where appropriate. Such approaches ensure that police officers and civilians with the appropriate skills are handling the appropriate tasks. At the federal level, our Government is showing leadership by implementing RCMP budget reductions through various administrative and operational support reforms. The RCMP is also transforming several aspects of its human resources management practices, which include but are not limited to, the modernization of various health programs and the civilianization of administrative functions that allow sworn officers to return to the front line, while the administrative functions are filled by civilian staff. Importantly, no frontline police officers have been cut as a result of these measures. As an example of its enhanced human resources management practices, the RCMP has developed a five-year Mental Health Strategy that will guide its efforts and priorities in enhancing the health and safety of its employees. The strategy improves the awareness and use of existing psychological health programs and services and ensures that officers can be contributing, healthy and well balanced members of the organization. The RCMP is also modernizing its Federal Policing Program and several support services to reduce costs and improve operational effectiveness. Federal Policing Re-engineering is building an agile, integrated, and innovative Federal Policing Program, capable of efficiently and effectively addressing operational priorities and better aligning resources and priorities. New Models of Community Safety We support Recommendations 12 and 13 related to new models of community safety. The Government is contributing to efforts to encourage the adoption of new models of community safety by leveraging multi-agency partnerships involving police to better deal with at risk individuals and families and build better communities. Public Safety Canada is working with Saskatchewan as they spearhead the implementation of new integrated community safety models. For example, my Department is developing a methodology that identifies common performance measures for partner social services and an e-learning package to support police services who want to establish these new models across Canada. Additionally, in line with Recommendation 11 that crime prevention and early intervention are effective means to improve the social and economic well-being of communities, Public Safety Canada’s National Crime Prevention Strategy is working in partnership with the provinces and territories to provide national leadership on cost-effective ways to prevent and reduce crime through targeted interventions. Efficiencies Within the Justice System In Recommendation 2, the Committee underlines that work is needed to study the economics of the judicial system, cost drivers and excessive administrative burdens stemming from the police-justice interface. To this end, my Department is working with Justice Canada, provinces, and territories and the police associations to identify priorities and solutions related to the police-justice interface. The Committee’s observations will be instructive as we put forward measures for consideration in fall 2014, such as greater reliance on technology, better coordination across justice systems and sharing of best practices. First Nations Policing In reference to Recommendations 3 and 4 regarding public safety in First Nation communities, our Government is working with provinces and territories to strengthen First Nations policing. Under this program, the federal government provides 52% of eligible costs and the provincial and territorial governments provide the 48% difference. Through the leadership of the Government of Canada and the collaboration of provinces and territories, the First Nations Policing Program (FNPP) has had a measurable and positive impact on the safety and security of First Nation and Inuit communities. The FNPP was established in 1991 and was recently renewed by the Government of Canada for another five years with $612.4 million in funding. This ensures that financial support for professional, dedicated and responsive policing services will continue in First Nation and Inuit communities across Canada. In 2013-2014, the federal government FNPP supported dedicated policing services in 395 communities, covering a population of approximately 340,811, through the successful implementation of over 170 policing agreements between the federal government, provincial or territorial governments, and First Nation or Inuit communities. The tripartite nature of FNPP policing agreements facilitates community involvement in policing services and ensures an effective dialogue between the police and members of the community. In an effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of First Nation and Inuit police services, the Government of Canada, through the FNPP, has been providing support to the File Hills First Nation Police Service in Saskatchewan to hire Special Constables thus incorporating a culturally sensitive approach to police service delivery. The Way Forward I would once again like to thank you and the members of the Committee for your helpful and constructive work on strengthening policing in Canada. It is essential that we continue to strive to meet the high expectations of Canadians for increasingly efficient, effective, and accountable police services that contribute to safe and secure communities. Steven Blaney, P.C., M.P. Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness |