2023 Police Intervention Options Report

Cadet training at Depot

The Cadet Training Program includes a problem-based curriculum designed to teach policing through integrated, realistic, life-like situations. It provides a dynamic, adult-focused learning environment. Learning activities include case studies, scenarios, role-playing, guided discussions, demonstrations, and practical exercises. The Cadet Training Program is an extensive 26-week basic training program broken down into the following disciplines: Applied Police Sciences, Police Defensive Tactics, Police Fitness, Firearms, Police Driving, and Drill and Deportment. The objectives of the Cadet Training Program are consistent with the RCMP's values, the Incident Management and Intervention Model training, and the operational framework known as CAPRA (Clients / Acquire and Analyze / Partnerships / Response / Assess), which is a problem-solving model to help define the competencies necessary for effective community policing.

At the beginning of training, cadets in the Cadet Training Program are introduced to CAPRA, the Incident Management and Intervention Model, negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution. Both CAPRA and the Incident Management and Intervention Model training highlight the importance of using communication skills in policing situations. CAPRA is integrated into the Incident Management and Intervention Model and its training, as it assists in the primary function of police, which is to help resolve problems. Communication is one of the key factors in achieving this goal, whether a police intervention is necessary or not.

The curriculum builds upon this foundation by introducing cadets to de-escalation skills, which they then apply to a full day of scenarios in which the clients are in various states of emotional distress. They continue to develop and apply their de-escalation skills throughout the remainder of training in Applied Police Sciences, Police Defensive Tactics, and Firearms scenarios.

Cadets are also introduced to intervention and de-escalation techniques specifically designed for managing policing situations in which the client is experiencing a mental health crisis. They are then provided with the opportunity to apply these techniques in scenarios involving an actor portraying a client in crisis due to a mental health issue. In addition, the cadets' ability to apply de-escalation skills are informally and formally assessed at numerous points in the Cadet Training Program.

Cadets learn other intervention options in addition to communication, primarily in Police Defensive Tactics and Firearms. They are guided in the application of these options by the Incident Management and Intervention Model training, CAPRA, and the principles of conducting a continuous risk assessment to ensure public and police safety. The intervention options include police presence, various soft and hard physical control techniques, oleoresin capsicum spray (better known as pepper spray), baton, carotid control technique (also referred to as vascular neck restraint), conducted energy weapon (commonly known as the Taser), pistol, shotgun, and carbine. Not only do cadets acquire the skills for performing the techniques and using the tools, but more importantly, they are given many opportunities to apply their understanding of Section 25 of the Criminal Code, CAPRA, and risk assessment in diverse scenarios in which they are informally and formally assessed.

Learn more about the cadet training at Depot.

Learn more about updates to the Cadet Training Program.

In-service training

In-service training provides police officers with the skills required to support their primary duty of preserving and protecting life. Knowing that the primary objective of any intervention is public safety, and that officer safety is essential to public safety, in-service training focuses on the skills required to safely handle the wide range of situations that can occur within a policing landscape. RCMP officers must be prepared to perform under diverse and adverse conditions, in a variety of communities (urban, rural, isolated postings) and operational settings, using many types of equipment. As a result, regular recertification and mandated refresher training are required throughout an officer's career to maintain their competencies.

The vast number of competencies that must be addressed through in-service training are covered in a host of courses including, but not limited to:

• Crisis Intervention and De-escalation
• Core Mandatory Operational Training or Block Training (including First Aid)
• Incident Management and Intervention Model recertification
• Immediate Action Rapid Deployment
• Initial Critical Incident Response

Intervention option-specific courses include, but are not limited to:

• firearms (for example, pistol, carbine, shotgun, .308 rifle, etc.)
• conducted energy weapons, commonly known as Taser
• extended range impact weapons

Training on intervention options is meaningful, credible, defendable, informed by research (for example, medical, legal, and human factors), and enhances on-the-job performance.

Crisis intervention and de-escalation

Police officers are often the first responders on scene when an individual is experiencing a mental health crisis. Police have a critical role to play when responding and interacting with a person with a mental illness or a person in crisis. While police officers are not medical professionals and cannot diagnose individuals, it is important for the police to have an understanding of mental illnesses, including the signs and symptoms of distress, in order to conduct effective risk assessments and de-escalate a mental health crisis, whenever it is tactically feasible.

Addressing the mental health needs of individuals and communities requires empathy, patience, and awareness on the part of first responders. Through crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques, many mental health crises can be managed with decreased risk to the individual, the public, and police officers.

The RCMP has strengthened crisis intervention and de-escalation training for all its officers. Since 2016, an online training course on crisis intervention and de-escalation has been mandatory for all RCMP officers. The course takes approximately three hours and is available through the RCMP's e-learning portal. This mandatory training helps police officers determine when and how to use crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques, and complements the training cadets receive at Depot, as well as other training offered in RCMP divisions and detachments. The purpose of the course is to ensure that RCMP officers will be able to use crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques, when tactically feasible, to effectively manage these situations, including incidents involving a person with a mental illness or a person in crisis. The course includes a module on some of the major mental illnesses and their observable behaviours, which can assist police officers in tailoring their approach to the person in crisis.

Since April 2021, crisis intervention and de-escalation training has been incorporated into annual Incident Management and Intervention Model recertification training. Scenarios involving crisis intervention and de-escalation training are also in place as part of regular, in-person, core mandatory operational training. The RCMP recognizes that even in situations where crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques can be used, additional police intervention may still be necessary to protect the individual or others.

Learn more about this initiative.

The RCMP, like other police agencies, is very supportive of a collaborative approach for people in crisis, and for individuals experiencing symptoms of distress or addiction. Some communities across Canada have mobile mental health support and outreach services, typically in the form of a psychiatric nurse. In areas where a joint mental health response is available, and when situational factors permit, national RCMP policy guidance states that officers should consult with mental health personnel first. However, the establishment of such joint mental health responses is contingent on resources and support from provincial and municipal health services. Mobile mental health resources are not available in all jurisdictions, leaving RCMP officers to respond to these calls unsupported in the vast majority of cases.

Core mandatory operational and block training

Core mandatory operational training is the process for police officers to remain qualified (that is, maintain the certification required to carry intervention options) in the core elements required for policing duties. Officers are required to participate in block training exercises to refresh their skills and must recertify on the use of oleoresin capsicum spray (commonly known as pepper spray), the baton, and the carotid control technique every three years. Officers must also refresh their skills and recertify on the pistol (annually), Incident Management and Intervention Model training (annually; scenario-based training every three years), carotid control technique policy (annually), immediate action rapid deployment (refresher every three years), and first aid (refresher every three years). The skills delivered in block training build on the prior learning officers acquired during the Cadet Training Program.

Scenario-based training is an effective means of replicating real-life, high-stress situations in a safe and controlled training environment. As part of refresher training, officers complete scenarios, which incorporate real-time decision-making, the Incident Management and Intervention Model, and de-escalation techniques related to mental illnesses or a person in crisis. The scenarios are specifically designed, based on Subject Behaviour and Officer Response data, to represent real police encounters. Officers are expected to conduct a risk assessment in order to determine the level of intervention necessary to control the situation and to then articulate the rationale behind their response based on the totality of the situation. The scenarios are designed to expose officers to a variety of subject behaviours. While some scenarios are designed to be high-stress, low-frequency situations, many more are representative of everyday police interactions requiring officer presence and communication, de-escalation, and/or an intervention using intermediate weapons.

Initial critical incident response

Initial critical incident response training is designed to teach police officers who are first to arrive at the scene of a critical incident how to take command of the situation, and respond in a logical and methodical fashion. Critical incidents can involve active threats, non-active threats (situations in which an individual or group has the ability and the intent to commit an act of serious violence against a specific target in the immediate future), or life-threatening disasters. The primary objective in every type of critical incident is to preserve and protect life. The training provides instruction regarding the appropriate response methodology based on the specific threat that is being faced.

Immediate action rapid deployment

Immediate action rapid deployment training, initially introduced during the Cadet Training Program, provides police officers with the skills necessary to respond to, and intervene in, an active threat incident. Active threats involve individuals who are attempting to claim as many lives and cause as much damage as possible, in a single event. The objective of the training is to learn how to preserve and protect life by stopping the threat. In-service scenario-based training focuses on the integration of activities, skills, and tools to assist in responding to critical incidents.

Intervention option-specific training

In-service training is provided to support the safe and appropriate operation of a range of supplemental tools, including firearms (for example, shotgun, rifle and patrol carbine) and less-lethal intervention options (the conducted energy weapon and extended range impact weapon).

Methodology

On June 10, 2024, an extract was taken of the Subject Behaviour and Officer Response database to provide a snapshot of the data for the period of January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The dataset contained information from 5,930 completed Subject Behaviour and Officer Response reports ^{Footnote 2}, which included approximately 4,882 occurrences, 5,701 subjects, and 7,434 police intervention options. The RCMP makes every effort to ensure the data included in this report is complete, accurate and up-to-date.

Trends in police intervention (2010-2023)

In 2023, the RCMP entered approximately 3 million occurrences ^{Footnote 3} into RCMP records management systems and there were 2,385 encounters involving reportable applications of police intervention options ^{Footnote 4}. Therefore, in 2023, applications of police intervention options accounted for 0.08% of the total number of RCMP occurrences, or one encounter involving police intervention options for every 1,244 occurrences. This indicates that approximately 99.9% of RCMP encounters are resolved naturally or successfully de-escalated by officers without the need for the use of police intervention options.

As per Chart 1, there has been a general decline in the application of police intervention options since 2010. Specifically, compared to 2010 (0.132%), there has been a 39% reduction in the rate of reportable applications of police intervention options. Compared to 2022 (0.082%), the rate of applications of police intervention options remained relatively the same in 2023 (0.080%).

See Chart 1 - Text version for a breakdown by year.

In 2023, in the provinces and territories where the RCMP is the police of primary jurisdiction (contract police service), the lowest rate of applications of police intervention options was in New Brunswick (0.066%), while the highest rate was in Nunavut (0.20%). See Table 1 for a breakdown by division (province or territory) in 2023.

Since 2010, there has been an average of approximately 4,700 occurrences each year where police intervention options were used; 2,500 of these occurrences involved an officer applying an intervention option and 2,100 involved an officer drawing and displaying their intervention option, often as a deterrent (see Chart 2 - Text version for a breakdown by year). The overall use of police intervention options has remained relatively stable over time, with a roughly 50/50 split in recent years in officers applying their intervention options compared to drawing and displaying their intervention options without the need for application (see Chart 2). See Table 2 for a breakdown by division (province or territory) in 2023.

The yearly rate of officers' use of intervention options more clearly demonstrates the downward trend in applications of police intervention options, and the increase in deterrence (see Chart 3). Specifically, Chart 3 - Text version indicates that in 2010, in the majority of cases involving the use of police intervention options (71%), the intervention was applied. In the remaining 29%, the intervention option was drawn and displayed. However, by 2023, just under half (49%) of occurrences involved the application of an intervention option and just over half (51%) involved the use of drawing and displaying an intervention option.

In 2023, in the provinces and territories where the RCMP is the police of primary jurisdiction, the rate of drawing and displaying intervention options, often as a deterrent, ranged from 37% in Newfoundland and Labrador to 56% in Saskatchewan. See Table 3 for a breakdown by division (province or territory) in 2023.

Situational factors ^{Footnote 5} (2023)

Intervention options (2023)

Intermediate weapons (2023)

Intermediate weapons include oleoresin capsicum spray and the baton, along with other less lethal weapons, whose primary use is not intended to cause serious injury or death. Less lethal weapons include the conducted energy weapon and the extended range impact weapon.

Specialty munitions (2023)

General duty (frontline patrol) RCMP officers do not use specialty munitions. The specialty munitions category is used to capture the use of chemical munitions, such as 2-chlorobenzalmalonitrile (or CS gas, also commonly known as tear gas). They are limited to specialized groups such as Emergency Response Teams and the Tactical Support Group, who must pass a chemical munitions course during their training to be eligible to deploy them, and must recertify annually. CS gas irritates the mucous membranes causing a burning sensation in the eyes, nose, and throat, as well as nasal discharge, and tearing and closing of the eyes. The use of this tool during critical incidents ^{Footnote 8} reduces the risk to officers having to enter an unknown dwelling or structure. The use of this tool is also intended to contribute to safer or non-violent outcomes (for example, surrender) to help maintain both public safety and the safety of the involved subject. CS gas is rarely used in public order settings, and is only used under exceptional circumstances at the direction of the Critical Incident Commander. Since 2010, the RCMP has only deployed CS gas during two public order events - the 2011 Stanley Cup riots, and in February 2022, during the Trucker Convoy occupation of Ottawa. The use of this tool in a public-order setting reduces the risk to public and officer safety, and assists in dispersing riotous crowds.

In 2023, specialty munitions were used 139 times. See Chart 13 - Text version for a breakdown by division (province or territory). Specialty munitions accounted for 1.9% of all police intervention options used (see Appendix A) and 4.5% of all police intervention options applied (see Appendix B).

"Other" (2023)

The "other" category captures an RCMP officer using a weapon of opportunity (that is, items that they do not carry as a standard intervention option, but were available at the scene, such as a flashlight), rather than a police-issued intervention option. An officer may use such an intervention, for example, when they are involved in a struggle on the ground and are unable to access their standard intervention equipment.

In 2023, "other" intervention options were used 49 times. See Chart 14 - Text version for a breakdown by division (province or territory). "Other" intervention options accounted for 0.7% of all police intervention options used (see Appendix A) and 1.6% of all police intervention options applied (see Appendix B).

Police service dog (2023)

Police service dogs are first and foremost a searching and tracking tool. They are used to search for subjects who have fled the scene of an investigation, subjects who are hiding or attempting to evade apprehension, and missing persons. They are also used to locate narcotics, explosives, and human remains. The RCMP has a total of 176 team positions in Police Dog Services across the country. Of those, 159 were general duty and 17 were Specialty Detection Teams (narcotics, explosives, avalanche, and human remains) in 2023. There are also 11 municipal teams fully integrated and providing service for the RCMP in the lower mainland of British Columbia.

Police Dog Services handlers are responsible for their police service dog, and must always keep the dog under control. When the police service dog is deployed for the purpose of criminal apprehension, it is with the expectation that the dog, if required, will engage the subject with a bite. Often this is not required, as the presence and warning of the police service dog alone (identification of the dog by its handler, or the dog's bark) will achieve the required change in behaviour. If a police service dog is deployed and the subject's behaviour changes, the dog handler can recall their dog prior to a bite. Like other intermediate intervention options, the dog handler is required to report deployments of their dog when they believe their presence resulted in a behaviour change from the subject, regardless of whether they were deployed for the purpose of a criminal apprehension, in accordance with Subject Behaviour and Officer Response policy.

All potential dog handlers attend the Police Dog Services Training Centre, located in Innisfail, Alberta. The potential dog handlers must complete the Basic Dog Handler Course (for a new handler training a potential police service dog), which is a mandatory 85-day course. Once the dog handler has successfully completed the course, they must complete a minimum of eight hours per week of Police Dog Services team training during their scheduled work hours. General duty Police Dog Services teams are required to complete an annual validation for all profiles, including tracking, obedience, evidence searching, person search in a building or compound, and apprehension. In addition, each general duty team will be validated on one of the following detection designation profiles: narcotics, explosives, avalanche, or human remains. Specialty detection teams validate annually on the obedience and their detection designation profiles. Specialty detection teams are not trained in the apprehension profile. The apprehension profile includes two exercises. The first exercise is a "call off," which consists of the team demonstrating pre-bite control prior to the police service dog being commanded to apprehend a fleeing subject. The police service dog must then abort the approach without making contact with the subject on the dog handler's verbal command. The second exercise is an apprehension exercise, which consists of the team demonstrating pre-bite control while dealing with an uncooperative subject. The police service dog must remain in a position of control until given the command to apprehend the subject. The police service dog must release on the verbal command of the dog handler and demonstrate post-bite control while the handler conducts a search and escort of the subject.

In 2023, police service dogs were used as a police intervention option 785 times. Specifically, they were applied (bite) 358 times (45.6%) and used (presence or track only, often as a deterrent) 427 times (54.4%). See Chart 15 - Text version for a breakdown by division (province or territory). Police service dogs accounted for 10.6% of all police intervention options used (see Appendix A) and 11.5% of all police intervention options applied (see Appendix B).

Firearm (2023)

This intervention option primarily involves the use of conventional police firearms (for example, duty pistol, shotgun, rifle, patrol carbine). RCMP officers are trained to only use their firearms when they fear grievous bodily harm or death to themselves or any other person. With their firearm drawn and displayed or pointed at a person, an officer may attempt to de-escalate a situation through communication while being prepared to deploy lethal force, if necessary, based on the totality of the situation. Often, a firearm may be drawn and/or pointed at a person while another officer attempts crisis intervention de-escalation using communication, and/or uses other less lethal intervention options.

In 2023, firearms were used (drawn and displayed or pointed at a subject, often as a deterrent) by officers 2,922 times. See Chart 16 - Text version for a breakdown by division (province or territory). When used (drawn and displayed or pointed at a subject, often as a deterrent), firearms accounted for 39.3% of all police intervention options used (see Appendix A).

Officer-involved shootings (2023)

Communication, de-escalation, and less lethal intervention options are invaluable tools in ensuring that the public and police are as safe as possible; unfortunately, this does not always resolve a situation, and lethal force (that is, the discharge of a firearm) may be required. In incidents involving serious injury or death, the RCMP Act mandates that an independent civilian investigative body or external police force conduct an investigation. The RCMP will continue to review all external investigative reports and their recommendations so that necessary amendments to policy, training, equipment, and standards can be adopted to enhance public and police safety.

Injury proximal to the application of police intervention options (2023)

In-custody deaths proximal to the application of police intervention options (2023)

An in-custody death is defined as an incident where a person died while under police care and control, arrest, and/or detention, or while in a police facility or transport. In 2023, excluding officer-involved shootings (see above), there was one in-custody death proximal to the application of police intervention options. This incident occurred in Alberta and was investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (see Oversight and accountability below for more details). The external review release and/or report are available at the link below:

• In-custody death of a male involving officers of the Slave Lake RCMP (final report available [PDF 335 kB])

Appendix A

Appendix B