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Without enough resources, it would be difficult for any organization to thrive and prosper. This is also true with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The police force needs to have enough financial resources in order to meet the rising demands. If the government will not address the compensation and workload issues that the police force is facing right now, it will be hard for the force to recruit new members.
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Canadian Government Have To Provide The RCMP With The Resources It Needs
Ralph Goodale, the current federal Public Safety Minister, signed off on a bonus package last year for top Royal Canadian Mounted Police brass which summed up to over $1.7 million. The annual bonuses were distributed among the six deputy commissioners and 96 senior officers. Although the six deputy commissioners deserved to receive such bonus because of the difficult jobs that they are handling, giving the bonus must also have been considered in the context of those Mounties in the rank and file position who had not awarded with any salary increase in over three years.
Safety and Health Issue Aside from the compensation problem, RCMP is also dealing with issues concerning the health and safety of their members. As compared to other police forces, RCMP officers are having problems when it comes to calling out for help whenever they find themselves in trouble. In Toronto, Constables can easily and quickly get support and help every time they are in trouble. On the other end, RCMP officers who frequently work in remote or small detachments would have to wait for hours or days before the help they need arrives. They do not even have a two Constables per car policy.
Compensation Issue A typical Toronto Police Service 1st Class Constable makes around $94,949 per year, while those in the RCMP only receive $82,108 a year, leaving a difference of around 16%. This difference has a direct effect not only on the recruitment of new RCMP members but also in the retention of the existing members. The pay discrepancies also greatly impact the morale of the police force.
Other Issues The police force is also facing issues regarding vacancy rates, personnel shortages, and absentee rates. Moreover, the RCMP employee representation for the members is still considered as a contentious issue. The absentee rate usually hits as much as 30%. This rate is even higher in smaller detachments. This is generally due to training, annual leave, injured or ill staff, and unfilled positions. No matter what is the reason behind the absence of the officers, the rest of the team would need to do extra work to cope up with the tasks left by those who are absent. This is one of the major causes of the stress of the officers, which also leads to more absences.
The budget that the government set for the police force for the current fiscal year is only less than $2.76 billion. This amount is much lower than the budget provided four years ago which amounted to $3.12 billion. The new judicial and legislation rulings continue to place more demands on the RCMP but the government was not yet able to provide the corresponding resources that the force needed. If the government fails to address the fundamental issues of workload and compensation, the RCMP will never become an attractive employer. If this happens, it would be difficult for the RCMP to continue to thrive and flourish. In order for the RCMP to meet this increasing demand, the organization would need to have enough financial resources.
