The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is introducing hiring quotas aimed at boosting diversity within its ranks, even as a new audit warns the national force is falling thousands of officers short of operational needs.Blacklock's Reporter says an internal National Recruitment Strategy dated March 20 outlines targets requiring 24% women, 20% members of racialized groups and 9% indigenous recruits by 2028, with direction to prioritize certain applicants based on “diverse life experiences” and specific skill sets.The strategy emphasizes that recruitment remains critical to the force’s future, describing it as “the machine that drives the RCMP,” while acknowledging current approaches are no longer sustainable and require significant change.The plan was finalized just days before the release of a critical audit by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, which found the RCMP has failed to meet its own hiring targets and is struggling to keep pace with staffing demands.According to the audit, the force is short at least 3,400 officers, with current staffing levels at 19,091 compared to an estimated requirement of more than 21,800 officers to meet operational needs..Auditors also found the RCMP has not been effective in recruiting, training and deploying new officers, despite identifying recruitment as a top priority since 2018. The report noted the force did not accurately assess how many officers it required, contributing to ongoing shortages.The cost of hiring has also climbed, with the average expense to recruit and train a new constable reaching approximately $247,000 between 2023 and 2025.The recruitment strategy highlights the importance of increasing indigenous representation, noting the RCMP serves as the primary police force in about 60% of communities with formal policing agreements.The findings underscore mounting pressure on the national police service to address both staffing gaps and recruitment practices, as it faces growing operational demands across the country.
