Is there a future in RCMP contract policing?
Commissioner William Elliot of
the RCMP, who took the top job in the summer of 2007 (and became the first
civilian appointed to the high post), made a major public appearance at the year’s
end, Dec 14 07, to deliver a report on the national police service's governance
structure and the need to address cultural changes within Canada's national
corps of police officers.
The public announcements by
Commissioner Elliot, included, "The path we have laid out is not for the
faint of heart. Stockwell Day," Minister of Public Safety overseeing the
RCMP, "said he will review the call for a two-year timeline to deliver
changes identified by the head of the report, David Brown,” about this critical
(and recently criticized) national police service.
Expectation will be running
high regarding the Task Force on Governance and Cultural Change in the RCMP. As
the government noted on the internet, “On July 16, 2007, the Honourable
Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, announced the creation of a new
five-member Task Force.”
The public will now watch those
in power to see if they respond to the call for creation of a new separate
entity, new board of management, and new oversight from outside.
David Brown, talking to Don
Newman on CBC-TV Politics, said, "There is confusion at the top as to who
is responsible," for running the police service. Together Brown and Newman
discussed how changes might come about to essentially create a new RCMP, and,
Brown implied, financial management of the RCMP seems to be the major
management boondoggle.
He supplied Newman’s CBC-TV
audience with an interesting tidbit, wherein the actual employer of RCMP
personnel from top to bottom is the Treasury Board. What makes this so
interesting is that the CIA in the United States is also paid by the Treasury
Department of the national/federal structure.
The way Brown described it, the
Treasury Board not the RCMP Commissioner signs everybody’s paycheque, therefore
the purported head doesn't entirely control his organization because the payer
of his 'employees' is somebody else, and thus, the RCMP needs separate employer
status similar to Canada Revenue Agency or CSIS, Brown said.
The problems of the sort
implied by the current ‘comptroller connectivity’ imply the RCMP has been
rooted as a vast intelligence structure operating under the federal treasury
not dissimilar in structure to the CIA, even more powerful, because only
recently with changes through the US Patriot Act and other means could the CIA
officially operate within the USA.
In fact, said Brown, the RCMP
as an independent organization presently does not exist, "They don't have
the management in place or capacity to run it with the stewardship and
(competency) required." The current structure cannot handle the new
responsibility of owning their turf.
Brown said chief among the
changes required, "The board of management would be like a board of
directors, and composed of independent citizens of stature who have
demonstrated ability in a variety of skills from various provinces, a group of
expert citizens not connected with RCMP, not connected with government,"
providing the police service, suddenly, with "Board of management
accountability to parliament with reporting responsibility."
The report was produced by a
task force struck on the same day as the new RCMP commissioner took office in
July, and Brown and his group visited town halls and detachments, "The
task force received support and commitment and constructive approaches were
made, and the force and its management and people could not have been more
helpful."
He stressed the fact the force
is something of a dysfunctional element that needs healing. Its membership is
aware of the concerns and wants to expedite difficult changes, noted the task
force chairman.
The task force met with
provincial and municipal partners (Ontario and Quebec Provincial Police, and
city police forces), "High quality men and women gave their input across
Canada."
The report and recommendations are
part of an important document and perhaps an important turning point. Senior
leadership of the force is changing. This and other significant issues are
under study. They have, “no other option," but, "the RCMP must
change."
He added, "Significant,
relevant, and meaningful," changes are required, "because of the
report's contents, the changes will address management accountability, internal
discipline, workplace disclosure."
Brown also served notice that
renewal is going to mean new policies and new human resource practices.
"Administrative, financial and human resource practices that do not
support employees will be ended. Public trust needs to be improved."
The task force worked with the
strong support of the public because police and communities obviously work
together to form safe communities and neighbourhoods.
The goal for the changes, Brown
stated, must be to modernize the workplace into supportive and nurturing
environment where employees have the best possible work environment.
"Changes are necessary to
meet that goal. These are difficult and challenging times for the RCMP in
Canada and around the world. The force is composed of proud people, proud of
our organisation, and proud of what we do. Everyone is aware of an urgent need
to change.”
The observations made in the
task force report highlight significant weaknesses, but noticed a police force
filled with highly committed, highly professional, people who deal with
difficult situations every day.
Commissioner Elliot said,
"It is up to me and the leadership of the RCMP to lead the way. The status
quo is not an option." Any efforts applied to change will, "Stay true
to the values of the force."
It was, in fact, "Jul 16
07 when the largest change took place," at his appointment to the top
position in the structure, which was then followed by significant changes to
the command structure in several positions, including North West and Alberta
Commissioner, chief financial officer, chief human resources officer, "and
meeting to look at the structure of headquarters, including the role of
deputies and 'regionalization.'”
In fact the commissioner
alluded to a concentrated effort to reform the corps in the Lower Mainland.
"A multi-year renewal process begins with some things immediately but it
is not going to happen overnight. We know we have an aging workforce, but also
that we are making changes which will accelerate other changes. We are
graduating more new officers this year than in recent history."
As a point of fact the youth of
the corps impresses the commissioner, "In many regions they work with 4
years’ service or less."
Change, will it come?
"Most of the members know there is no other option that we need a
fundamental change and the report and the leaders, the party leaders in
parliament, are looking for change." The commissioner said, "The
force needs better oversight and continuous review of shortcomings in the
present system."
The subject returned to the
trust of Canadians and the importance of this when Paul Palango told David Gray
on CBC-TV Newsworld, "There were few surprises in the report, and the most
important is disconnecting the force from the political process."
Palango is in favour of the
outside board of oversight, and he takes things a step further, "Contract
policing has to end for the RCMP. Policing communities outside Ontario and
Quebec is wasting resources that should be devoted to national sovereignty and
national security."
Palango said, "Ten
thousand of the 16,000 member force is doing contract policing. It is the tail
wagging the dog for the national police service."
Palango raised the question,
"Why are there subsidized policing? This diffusion of resources and
underfunding has become endemic to the present system and is out of step with
our times," said Palango.
He added, the Lower Mainland
has problems with its corp of RCMP, "and Alberta is a rich place. Why do
they need a subsidized police force?"
