Module 7: The Police in Contemporary Society Flashcards
1
Q
What are function of the Police?
A
- To enforce the law
- To prevent crime
- To protect citizens from criminals
- traffic control and related services take up 80% of uniformed police officer time
2
Q
How successful police officers are in enforcing laws depends on 3 Factors:
A
- The nature of the particular behaviour prohibited by law, deviant acts supported by a large number of citizens are harder to enforce
- The size of the community, detection and arrest of criminal is harder in urban communities, vs easier in rural communities
- Police departmental expectations, if police officers’ promotion is based on objective criteria (ex. number of tickets issued or arrests given)
3
Q
Which act has provided the federal parliament of Canada with the power to make laws and establish procedures in criminal matters?
A
- The British North American Act
- provides the legislature of each province with the responsibility to organize and establish law enforcement agencies/criminal courts for the administration of criminal justice within the province
- federal parliament makes the law, provinces are required to enforce it by maintaining police forces and courts to carry out their responsibility
4
Q
Federal Police, RCMP and its functions:
A
- formed in 1873 as Royal Northwest Mounted Police, constitute 7% of all police officers in Canada
- functions:
- enforce federal statutes (special law enacted by federal government, in response to the changing social conditions in our society, ex. Indian Act, Narcotics and Control Act) in all the provinces and territories
- responsible for the protection of dignitaries
- airports, forensic laboratory services, DNA databank, sex offender registry
- contractual agreements of law enforcement with provinces and municipalities, all provinces except Ontario and Quebec, have contracted the RCMP in small communities, 60% are involved in contract policing in 180 Canadian communities, municipal police services, they also enforce municipal bylaws, officers ae usually appointed as town constables/officers
5
Q
Provincial Police Agencies
A
- 26% of all police personnel in Canada
- OPP
- Quebec Police Force (Surete du Quebec)
- Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (late 1870s), only city of St. John’s, other smaller towns are served by the RCMP
- functions:
- enforces the Criminal Code of Canada and provincial statutes throughout their respective provinces, except where a municipality has its own police force
6
Q
Municipal Police
A
- 67% of all police officers in Canada
- many municipalities have their own police forces, because its cheaper
- enforces the Criminal Code of Canada and provincial statutes throughout their respective provinces, and municipal bylaws
- largest segment of Canadian law enforcement, deal with most of the big city crime
