Border Integrity defined
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A secure border helps keep Canadians safe from a variety of criminal threats, while allowing for the legal movement of people and goods. Canada shares the world's longest undefended border with the United States, stretching nearly 9,000 kilometres across land and water. Working with its many Canadian, American and global law enforcement partners, the RCMP plays an important role in securing Canada's border.
Border enforcement - the RCMP's role
The RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) share the responsibility of securing Canada's borders at and between ports of entry from inbound and outbound criminal threats in all domains: air, land, maritime and the Arctic.
The RCMP is primarily responsible for border security between official ports of entry and has a role at ports of entry when investigations are referred to us by CBSA.
The RCMP works to ensure Canada's national border is protected from serious and complex criminal threats. Currently, the greatest threats to our border continue to be transnational organized crime networks. These groups attempt to exploit areas along the border to illegally move people or illicit merchandise.
Note
A "port of entry" refers to a specific location through which people and goods may enter a country legally.
Border Integrity program
As Canada's national police force, the RCMP helps protect our borders. This includes monitoring areas between official ports of entry, maritime ports and airports.
The Border Integrity program recognizes the importance of keeping pace with modern criminal threats and anticipating future challenges. It has a strategy in place to effectively monitor, assess and respond to threats at our border, and working with partners to deploy resources where they are needed most. Three core priorities have been identified for the success of this strategy:
- Intelligence: gathering and synthesizing information from a variety of human and technological sources
- Integration: enhancing collaboration with other RCMP programs to address sophisticated, borderless crime
- Partnerships: strengthening and leveraging partnerships to ensure the RCMP has a complete threat picture at the border, informing an appropriate response
This strategy is designed to strengthen the RCMP's ability to detect, deter, and disrupt cross-border criminal activity, and helps to ensure the safety and security of Canadians.
The RCMP Border Integrity program tackles increasingly complex border investigations by:
- securing the length of Canada's border between designated ports of entry
- engaging in joint operations with Canadian and American law enforcement partner agencies, such as the United States Customs and Border Protection
- maintaining and enhancing national and tactical awareness of border threats and emerging criminal trends
- identifying, investigating and disrupting persons, organizations and goods that either threaten the national security of one or both countries or that are involved in organized criminal activity
The RCMP takes an intelligence-led approach to border security, ensuring resources are directed to where they will have the greatest impact. At ports of entry, we assist and support our partners to address inbound and outbound criminal threats.
Teams and resources
The RCMP contributes to various border enforcement teams, working closely with both Canadian and United States partners.
Integrated Border Enforcement Teams
Integrated Border Enforcement Teams are comprised of officers from 5 core agencies who are dedicated to securing the Canada-United States border:
- RCMP
- Canada Border Services Agency
- United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, represented by Homeland Security Investigations
- United States Customs and Border Protection represented by the United States Border Patrol
- United States Coast Guard
Marine Security Enforcement Teams
Marine Security Enforcement Teams are Canadian Coast Guard-operated mid-shore patrol vessels with RCMP officers onboard who provide the law enforcement function. These integrated units deliver a capability to addresses criminal activity and potential threats across the eastern maritime entrance to Canada: the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Atlantic Coast.
Marine Security Operational Centres
Marine Security Operational Centres is composed of 6 Canadian federal government departments and agencies who work together to respond to perceived and real marine security threats to the country:
- RCMP
- Canada Border Services Agency
- Canadian Coast Guard
- Department of National Defence
- Transport Canada
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans
This is accomplished through the collection, integration, analysis and dissemination of relevant information held by these agencies, thereby assisting in the detection, assessment and support of a coordinated response to a marine security threat or incident. There are centres are located on the east and west coasts, as well as on the Great Lakes. The coastal centres work closely with Five Eyes partners to identify suspicious vessels bound for Canada.
Shiprider
The Shiprider program is a cooperative approach to combating cross-border crime on Canada and United States shared waterways. Canada-U.S. Shiprider involves vessels jointly crewed by specially trained and designated Canadian and United States law enforcement officers who are authorized to enforce the law on both sides of the international boundary line. Working together, armed Canadian and United States law enforcement officers are able to transit back and forth across the border to help secure it from threats to national security, as well as prevent cross-border smuggling and trafficking, but without violating the sovereignty of either nation.
Border Technology Program
The Border Technology Program is a national program that facilitates and coordinates the implementation of innovative technology solutions to support ongoing border security efforts by enhancing situational awareness and the ability to respond to illegal or suspicious activities.
Border enforcement video
The RCMP works hard to keep Canada's borders safe between ports of entry on the ground, in the air, and on the water.
Transcript - RCMP Border Enforcement
Music plays ♫
Fast cuts showing a variety of RCMP border integrity work including ground-based border patrolling, drone surveillance footage, search dogs, snowmobiles, drug seizure analysis, helicopter surveillance, marine vessel surveillance, arrests.
On the ground. In the air. On the water. The RCMP protects Canada's borders. RCMP.ca/border
Royal Canadian Mounted Police / Gendarmerie royale du Canada
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 2025.
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