Police agencies from across Canada will be taking part in a nation-wide survey to address professionalism in policing, starting this month.
This survey is a follow-up to the study on ethics in Canadian policing, published in 2012 by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP). The ethics survey was the first of its kind in the world, according to a Delta Police Department press release, and saw 10,000 members from 31 police departments take part.
The newest survey will take a look at some of the results from the 2012 study, and show the impact of any changes made in regards to work environment and conditions, supervision, communications, decision making, management and community engagement.
“There have been some significant changes in the environment since the last survey,” said Delta Police Chief Neil Dubord, co-chair of the CACP Ethics Committee, which commissioned the survey. “We’ve seen tremendous growth in the role of social media, which has both positive and negative implications for policing.
“A key issue with social media is that what happens with police forces in other countries impacts the public perception of, and potentially interactions with, Canadian police officers.”
More than 30 police departments from across the country at set to take part in the newest survey, which will include civilian employees as well as police officers.
“This second survey will give our police forces the chance to assess the changes they may have implemented after the first survey, and also look at new areas, such as interactions with the public,” said CACP Ethics Committee co-chair and Gatineau Police deputy director François Duguay.
“This should help all our police leaders take a good look at the challenges we face in maintaining public trust and confidence, and how we can better communicate with all our staff in meeting those challenges.”
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