Correction notice
A correction was made to police personnel data for 2019 and 2021 reference years. This change affects some of the figures in the infographic.
Description: Police personnel and expenditures in Canada, 2021
As of May 15, 2021, there were 70,114 police officers in Canada, 1,267 more than in 2019. This represents a rate of police strength of 183 officers per 100,000 population, and is stable from two years earlier.Note 1
| Province/Territory | Number of police officers | Rate of police officers per 100,000 population, 2021 | Percent change in rate from 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 879 | 169 | -2 |
| Prince Edward Island | 224 | 136 | 0 |
| Nova Scotia | 1,880 | 190 | -1 |
| New Brunswick | 1,270 | 161 | 0 |
| Quebec | 16,120 | 187 | +2 |
| Ontario | 26,100 | 176 | +1 |
| Manitoba | 2,544 | 184 | -4 |
| Saskatchewan | 2,341 | 198 | -2 |
| Alberta | 7,906 | 178 | +1 |
| British Columbia | 9,323 | 179 | -2 |
| Yukon | 140 | 326 | +3 |
| Northwest Territories | 192 | 422 | -2 |
| Nunavut | 146 | 371 | +6 |
| 0 true zero or a value rounded to zero | |||
Police personnel
- Police officers = 68%
- Civilians = 27%
- Special constables = 3%
- Recruits = 2%
Calls for service
Across Canada, police services received 11.8 million calls for service
COVID-19 pandemic
- Close to $33 million in additional costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic were spent in 2020/2021 to adequately equip policing personnel.
- Just over 4 in 10 police services reported that 20% or more of their personnel had been absent from work for at least one day at some point in 2020/2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Top 5 measures put in place by police services in response to the pandemic
- Adjustment of training methods (88%),
- Change in the workplace layout (77%)
- Change to how police services deal with suspects in cells (76%)
- Change of work schedule (70%)
- Teleworking (65%)
Police operating expenditures
In 2020/2021, operating expenditures for policing totalled $16.5 billion, up 5% from 2018/2019
| Salaries, wages and benefits (billions of dollars) | Other operating expenditures (billions of dollars) | |
|---|---|---|
| Police operating expenditures | 13.6 | 2.9 |
Women in policing
- Percent of police officers: Male police officers 78%; Female police officers 22%
- In 2021, there were 404 more female police officers than in 2019.
- 18% of commissioned officers and 20% of non-commissioned officers were women.
- Women accounted for 70% of civilian positions in police services.
- 33% of special constables and 31% of recruits were women.
Indigenous and visible minorities police officersNote 2
- 8% of police officers were members of a population group designated as a visible minority
- 4% of police officers were Indigenous
Note : Data on police personnel, women in policing, visible minorities, and Indigenous people are based on a "snapshot date" of May 15, 2021. COVID-19 data refer to the period from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. The other data on this infographic represent the calendar year ending December 31, 2020 (or March 31, 2021 as some police services operate on a fiscal year basis). Percentages may not add up due to rounding. Despite the Police Administration Survey being an annual survey, collection for the 2020 cycle was cancelled due to the pandemic. Therefore, the 2021 cycle data are compared to 2019 cycle data.
Source : Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics, Police Administration Survey, 2021.
Report a problem on this page
Is something not working? Is there information outdated? Can't find what you're looking for?
Please contact us and let us know how we can help you.
- Date modified: