Canada: Between Britain and the United States (From Comparative Policing Issues: The British and American Experience in International Perspective, P 68-85, 1990, Rob I. Mawby -- See NCJ-133548)

• NCJ Number: 133553
• Author(s): R I Mawby
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 18 pages
• Sale Source: Unwin Hyman Ltd
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

The Canadian police system is presented as an example of a diverse system developing under United States, French, and British colonial influence and serving a diverse population.

Abstract

The structure of policing in Canada is difficult to categorize because of its diverse policing systems which developed in the British and French influenced urban areas and in the central plains, Yukon, and Northwest Territories. In addition, many provinces in the early years subcontracted their police administration to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), a para military force with central government loyalty in the interwar period. In the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and in many municipalities, local police forces operate and are accountable in ways which are similar to the United States. However, the RCMP provides a more militarist centralized structure which has resisted attempts of accountability to the local government. Community policing and neighborhood watch initiatives have been influenced by the developments in the United States. The Canadian police system can be characterized as a predominantly local decentralized system with an option for the local government to choose a centralized system.