Mar. 27, 2023, Canada – After being relatively stable the previous two years of data collection, the rate of police strength in Canada in 2022 continued the downward trend started more than a decade earlier. In 2022, the rate of police strength was 181 officers per 100,000 population, down 1 per cent from the year prior. There were 70,566 police officers in Canada on May 15, 2022, 406 more than on the same date in 2021. Despite this increase in the number of police officers, an even greater increase in the growth rate of the Canadian population led to the lower rate of police strength.
In 2021/2022, police services in Canada hired 2,076 police officers and 1,894 recruits, 914 more hires in these two combined employee categories compared with the previous collection period. All provinces and territories except Ontario and Manitoba hired more police officers than recruits. In 2021/2022, the number of women police officers hired increased by 15 per cent, and the number of women recruits hired increased by 16 per cent compared with 2020/2021.
To read the full report from Statistics Canada, visit https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230327/dq230327a-eng.htm.
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