In the fiscal year of 2019, operating expenditures for police services in Canada totaled to 423 Canadian dollars per capita. With more than 5.8 billion Canadian dollars, Ontario was the province with the highest spending on policing in Canada as of 2019. Along with the increasing per capita expenditures on policing, the number of police officers in Canada has also increased, while the crime rate has notably decreased over the last years.
In addition, another trend in the police force is the rising number of women among all ranks. In 2021, female officers made up slightly more than 22 percent of all police in Canada, and over 15 percent of senior officer positions were held by women that year. In terms of proportions, women were more likely to be constables than their male counterparts, while the latter were more likely to be non-commissioned or commissioned officers. In addition, according to Canadian government data, in 2021 women held 70 percent of civilian positions in police services, but only one-third of special constable positions, and made up only 31 percent of recruits.
As was the case for many other sectors, Canadian police services had to face the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences. As a result, several measures were put in place in response to the crisis. The most frequently implemented of these were adjustments of training methods, changes in the layout of workplaces, changes in the way police services deal with suspects in cells, changes in work schedules, and use of telecommuting.