Canada-wide
Public Complaints Received
The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP accepts complaints about the on-duty conduct of RCMP members. Complaints may also be made directly with the RCMP. For more information on the Commission, please see the CRCC’s 2017-18 Annual Report.
Of the 2645 public complaints lodged between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018, the Commission received 2326 complaints while the RCMP received 319 complaints.
While the Commission and the RCMP receive a large number of public complaints each fiscal year, not all meet the complaint criteria laid out in section 45.53 of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act.
Public Complaints Canada-Wide
Text Version
2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | |
---|---|---|---|
Total # of complaints received | 2378 | 2751 | 2645 |
Total # of complaints meeting criteria (per section 45.53 of RCMP Act | 2126 | 2283 | 2 262 |
Please note: The slight variance between complaint numbers provided in the Commission's Annual Report and those provided in the Canada-wide statistics of this report can be attributed to duplication of complaints, and the fluidity of the public complaint process.
Public Complaints Finalized
The RCMP investigates public complaints* and provides the complainant with a report, finalizing the complaint.
It is important to note that complaints finalized by the RCMP within a fiscal year are not necessarily related to complaints lodged during that same time period.
For example, a complaint that is finalized in February 2018 (FY 2017-18) may have been lodged in December 2016 (FY 2016-17).
Number of Finalized Complaints Canada-Wide
Text Version
Number of Finalized Complaints Canada-Wide
- 2016-2017: 1802
- 2017-2018: 1700
Complaints can be resolved as follows:
- informally resolved by the RCMP;
- investigated by the RCMP;
- withdrawn by the complainant;
- terminated by the RCMP.
Resolution of Complaints Canada-Wide**
Text Version
2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | |
---|---|---|---|
Informally resolved | 743 | 785 | 780 |
Investigated by the RCMP | 955 | 780 | 647 |
Withdrawn by complainant | 90 | 166 | 193 |
Terminated by the RCMP | 69 | 60 | 65 |
*With the exception of public interest investigations, which are carried out by the Commission.
**A small number of complaints are resolved annually using a combination of two or more of the mechanisms listed above. Given that few complaints fall within this category they are not represented in the graph Resolution of Complaints Canada-Wide.
Complaints Lodged with the Commission vs. the RCMP
BY PROVINCE AND TERRITORY
Text Version
British Columbia | Alberta | Saskachewan | Manitoba | Ontario | Quebec | New Brunswick | Prince Edward Island | Nova Scotia | Newfoundland and Labrador | Yukon | Northwest Territories | Nunavut | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commission | 88% | 85% | 92% | 81% | 97% | 97% | 96% | 100% | 91% | 75% | 79% | 64% | 95% |
RCMP | 12% | 15% | 8% | 19% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 0% | 9% | 25% | 21% | 36% | 5% |
Finalized Complaints & Allegations
A complaint may contain a single allegation* or multiple allegations.
Allegations contained in public complaints are categorized during the investigation.
In 2017-18, the 1700 finalized complaint investigations contained 4173 allegations.
The top allegations Canada-wide are consistent with those from 2016-17. They were:
- Neglect of Duty;
- Improper Attitude;
- Improper Use of Force;
- Improper Arrest;
- Irregularity in Procedure.
Province Territory |
Allegation | Province Territory |
Allegation |
---|---|---|---|
BC |
|
PE |
|
AB. |
|
NS |
|
SK |
|
NL |
|
MB |
|
YT |
|
ON |
|
NT |
|
QC |
|
NU |
|
NB |
|
|
|
*A list of all allegations is available in Appendix C of the Commission's Annual Report.
Complaints Referred to the Commission for Review
Following the RCMP’s investigation of a public complaint, if a complainant is not satisfied with how the RCMP has concluded their complaint, the legislation allows them to refer their complaint to the Commission for review.
The role of the Commission is to make findings after an objective examination of the information available and to make recommendations that improve policy and performance of the RCMP and its members.
At any point during its review, The Commission may request that the RCMP investigate further.
If the Commission is satisfied with RCMP’s handling of the complaint, the Chairperson issues a Satisfied Report to the RCMP Commissioner, the Minister of Public Safety, the complainant, and the member(s) involved, thereby ending the review process.
If the Commission is not satisfied with the RCMP’s handling of the complaint the Chairperson will issue an Interim Report, outlining various findings and recommendations directed at the RCMP, which will be sent to the RCMP Commissioner and the Minister of Public Safety.
Once the Interim Report has been reviewed by the RCMP, the RCMP Commissioner gives notice, identifying which recommendations the RCMP will act on. If no, or a different, action is to be taken, the Commissioner must provide reasons to the Commission.
The Chairperson considers the Commissioner’s Response and prepares a Final Report.
Number of Finalized Complaints Referred to Commission for Review Canada-wide
Text Version
2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 |
---|---|---|
243 | 233 | 229 |
Satisfied Reports | Interim Reports | Final Reports | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015-2016 |
137 |
19 |
12 |
168 |
2016-2017 |
167 |
57 |
14 |
238 |
2017-2018 |
162 |
59 |
26 |
247 |
Chairperson-Initiated Complaints and Investigations
In addition to dealing with public complaints, if the Chairperson is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to investigate the on-duty conduct of an RCMP member, the Chairperson can initiate a complaint and forward the complaint to the RCMP for investigation.
If the Chairperson determines that it is not in the public interest for the RCMP to investigate a public or Chairperson-initiated complaint, the Commission can conduct its own public interest investigation.
In 2017-18, the Commission initiated one Chairperson-initiated complaint and public interest investigation, along with an additional five public interest investigations, involving allegations of:
- Neglect of Duty;
- Improper Attitude; and
- Improper Use of Force.