To serve and protect

	Photo: Comstock

The most visible aspect of the Canadian legal system at work is policing. Law enforcement officers fulfill many roles in our society, from youth crime prevention programs to Internet investigations. A responsibility of all three levels of government, policing involves much more than just the enforcement of the Criminal Code.

From the 214 officers in Prince Edward Island to the more than 22,600 officers in Ontario in 2002, the presence of our police is comforting to most Canadians. According to a 1996 survey, 80% of Canadians believed the police were doing a good job at controlling crime. This was higher than the 77% satisfaction rate recorded in the United States, 62% in Sweden and 45% in the Netherlands.

In 2002, there were more than 58,400 police officers and 20,700 civilian personnel delivering police services in Canada, an increase of 3% over the previous year. Public spending on police services also saw growth. Police expenditures were $6.8 billion in 2000/01—6% more than in the previous year. About 56% of spending went to municipal policing, while provincial and federal law enforcement received 23% and 21%, respectively.

The increase in the number of police helped to raise the number of officers per capita from a low of 181 officers per 100,000 citizens in 1998 to 186 per 100,000 people in 2002. The highest rate of police officers per capita could be found in the Yukon, with 418 police officers per 100,000 people, and in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, each with 386. The lowest ratios were found in Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island, with 150 and 156 police officers per 100,000 people, respectively.

In 2002, about 15% of Canada's police officers were women, up from approximately 1% of police officers 30 years before. While the number of male police officers increased marginally from 2001 to 2002, the number of female officers increased 8%. British Columbia had the highest proportion of female police officers in 2002 with 19%, followed by Saskatchewan at nearly 16%.