Statistics Canada Article on Canadian Police Performance Metrics

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat has published an article entitled The Canadian Police Performance Metrics Framework: Standardized indicators for police services in Canada:

"In 2014, Statistics Canada, in collaboration with Public Safety Canada and Police Information and Statistics (POLIS) committee of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) undertook a review of current performance measures being used by police services in Canada. This work was done to determine whether or not there is a need for standardized, national measures and to determine the types of data needed to support police leaders in decision-making and management. As a result of this work, it was found that, in the absence of national indicators of police performance, police services in Canada rely on traditional metrics that do not reflect the complexity and scope of contemporary policing responsibilities. As such, there is a need for a standard police performance metrics framework for Canadian policing."

"As a result of this development work by Statistics Canada and its partners, in April 2017, a preliminary police performance metrics framework was approved by the POLIS committee, and in November 2017, the proposed police performance metrics framework was presented to and received the endorsement of the Board of Directors of the CACP."

"(...) The article provides a review of the literature on performance measurement, an examination of how Canadian police services are currently using data in public performance reports, and the results of a consultation of Canadian police services on measuring police performance based on data availability and information needs. Preliminary results from a pilot project on the feasibility of collecting uniform calls for service data from Canadian police services are also provided."