OTTAWA, ON, March 25, 2026 /CNW/ – Continuing the RCMP’s efforts towards promoting transparency and improving public trust and confidence, today, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is launching a public consultation on a revised use of force framework that also includes a critical decision-making model.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) committed to update our Incident Management Intervention Model, as part of broader Government of Canada public safety commitments. While 99.9% of RCMP occurrences are resolved naturally or with communication and de-escalation and there has been a 34% decrease in use of force across the RCMP since 2010, tragic events continue to highlight the importance of continual improvements focusing on promoting de-escalation, as well as public and police safety.Â
The RCMP Public and Police Safety Framework (PPSF) is a training aid designed to help police officers assess risk and make decisions, particularly in high-stress situations. It is also a tool that helps explain why officers responded the way they did, in a legal setting, and aims to improve the public’s understanding of the principles guiding police actions.
The Critical Decision-Making Model is a new addition to the framework. It allows police officers to continually re-assess the situation, the person with whom they are interacting as well as the threats and risks from both the person they are interacting with and the location in which the incident is taking place. The officer can then act, review, and reassess the situation as often as needed to appropriately respond to and resolve a situation.
The RCMP is launching this public consultation to obtain diverse perspectives to help us learn whether this framework supports public understanding of these complex situations, improve public awareness and understanding, and involve communities across the country. The goal is to have a framework that continues to assist officers during encounters with the public, while also providing information to help the public better understand police decision-making.
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“The RCMP has been working to modernize the RCMP’s use of force model to better reflect policing values that are inherent to all public and police interactions. Through a human-centered approach to policing, the RCMP is committed to continue our work in improving police training and approaches, particularly around de-escalation and approaches to interactions with people in crisis.”
  –  Mike Duheme – Commissioner
This public consultation will be hosted on a Canadian location-based community consultation platform, called PlaceSpeak, that enables participants to share ideas, comments, and concerns about topics affecting their communities. The consultation includes a narrated explanatory video of the framework, followed by a survey and discussion questions. The platform also allows RCMP subject matter experts to respond to questions and provide meaningful feedback to Canadians.
This work is linked to a top RCMP priority of supporting excellence in operations. This work is also tied to organizational Mandate Letter Commitments, Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, a resolution (2021-08) put forward by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) Use of Force, Intervention, and De-escalation Committee, as well as calls for the RCMP to ensure service delivery is culturally appropriate and reflects no bias or racism.
The public consultation is now live and will be open until May 22, 2026. More information and the PPSF consultation can be found here. Your voice matters and we want to make sure we’re providing the right information to improve the public’s understanding of the complexities of policing. Share your thoughts today!
Link: https://grc.ca/en/news/2026/03/4351528
SOURCE Royal Canadian Mounted Police Media Relations and Issues Management
