RCMP internal polling shows declining trust, confidence in national police force – National

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is facing declining trust in the force’s performance and questions about the organization’s integrity.

That’s according to internal polling reviewed by Global News that suggests the Mounties face an increasingly skeptical public concerned not only with their job performance but with the national police force’s honesty, integrity and transparency.

“Overall, attitudes towards the RCMP are generally positive but have worsened over the past year. The majority of Canadians are satisfied with the RCMP’s contribution to public safety, but satisfaction has declined since 2020-21,” the Ekos Research polling, delivered to the RCMP in April, suggested.

“The RCMP scores reasonably well in terms of upholding many of its core principles, however, perceptions in this area have also deteriorated over the past year.”

The report noted that, between April 2021 and April 2022, there was a six-point drop in the sentiment that the RCMP acts with integrity, and a five-percentage point drop in the number of Canadians who believe the Mounties are honest.

The polling doesn’t offer any explanation for Canadians’ declining opinion of the national police force and noted that despite those declines, the public still places a “great deal of importance on the RCMP’s contribution to public safety.”

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“But…