Scandals, sagging morale, and role ambiguity in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police: the end of a Canadian institution as we know it?

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), an iconic and highly respected Canadian institution, has come under extreme criticism in recent years, leaving its future existence in question. This paper reviews the pivotal problems that led the RCMP to this state of crisis, using four recent scandals tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Police practice & research 2011-04, Vol.12 (2), p.120-135
Main Authors: Perrott, Stephen B., Kelloway, E. Kevin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accountability
Canada
Institutions
Leadership
Moral crisis
Morality
Mounted police
Occupational health
Organizational change
Police
police accountability
Police officers
police reform
police-community relations
Policing
Reform
Reforms
Scandals
Work ethic
Working conditions
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Summary:The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), an iconic and highly respected Canadian institution, has come under extreme criticism in recent years, leaving its future existence in question. This paper reviews the pivotal problems that led the RCMP to this state of crisis, using four recent scandals that have particularly eroded its reputation to illustrate. It suggests that signs of the malaise have been present for some time, but downplayed or missed due to the RCMP's stellar reputation. The authors bolster their contention with data collected a number of years ago demonstrating that a sample of 129 RCMP constables perceived themselves to be less in control, to have less workplace social support, and experienced greater levels of psychological distress than a control group of 60 municipal constables. They conclude that the RCMP will have to undertake immediate and significant reform to regain its respected role in Canadian society.
ISSN:1561-4263
1477-271X
DOI:10.1080/15614263.2010.508983