RCMP's 911 dispatcher shortage is putting Mounties and public at risk: audit

Catharine Tunney · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 3

A precocious released RCMP audit says its 911 dispatch centres crossed the state are struggling with terrible unit shortages and burnout, putting front-line Mounties and the nationalist astatine risk. 

Described arsenic the lifeline for officers successful the field, the RCMP is liable for 17 operational communications centres, wherever dispatchers tract calls successful astir each state and each 3 territories. They besides assistance with nationalist information files. Dispatchers are often the archetypal constituent of interaction for the nationalist successful emergencies and supply captious enactment for officers responding to those calls.

But caller findings suggest the dispatch centres — known arsenic operational communications centres oregon OCCs — are successful a authorities of exigency themselves. 

"Staffing shortages bounds the effectiveness of the OCCs and could perchance enactment the information of [officers] and the nationalist astatine risk," notes the audit.

Completed successful February and published past week, it said the fig of hard vacancies (unfilled positions) has doubled crossed each centres since 2017, portion the fig of brushed vacancies (employees connected leave) has accrued by 31 per cent since 2019.

Those "severe staffing shortages" are contributing to an summation successful burnout and employees taking leave, said the report. The concern is described arsenic a "serious threat" to operations.

"Managers consciousness the OCCs are providing a bully work to the nationalist and person comparatively fewer complaints, but determination is simply a consciousness among managers that the level of work is deteriorating, oregon is astatine hazard owed to staffing shortages and operators being overworked," it said.

As portion of their review, the RCMP auditors interviewed dozens of workers, toured facilities and combed done what show reports were available.

"Program information indicates that work to the nationalist has suffered, and determination is simply a nonstop correlation betwixt work metrics, specified arsenic hold times and abandoned calls, and staffing levels and telephone volumes," the study found.

While staffing has decreased, telephone volumes person remained the same, oregon accrued astatine astir centres, said the report. Auditors heard anecdotally that those calls person go progressively convulsive and distressing. 

"Things are rather captious and successful information it's precise dire," said Kathleen Hippern, president of CUPE 104, the national representing RCMP dispatchers.

She says it's a substance of clip earlier calamity strikes.

"You're going to get a large lawsuit astir apt truly soon wherever we're not staffed properly," said Hippern, a dispatch supervisor herself.

"It could beryllium a coercion thing, it could beryllium a earthy disaster, it could beryllium thing similar the wide casualties successful Nova Scotia.… We don't person capable radical for a regular workday, fto unsocial the large events."

Bespoke intelligence wellness supports needed: audit 

The audit besides recovered that intelligence wellness resources for the hundreds of workers fielding those calls are inconsistent and insufficient.

"There is simply a consciousness that operators are not seen arsenic front-line workers oregon archetypal responders, and truthful bash not person the aforesaid level of support," said the interior audit. 

Hippern said the RCMP's auditors coming to that decision is simply a slap successful the face, arsenic the unit precocious took distant a biannual dispatcher psychological screening — a intelligence wellness assessment with a qualified scientist — and replaced it with a questionnaire. 

"We're a radical that deals with accent wherever we sometimes whitethorn consciousness suicidal and we've mislaid radical to suicide. Like this is not funny," she said.

"We request to beryllium successful a bully headspace due to the fact that we're going to beryllium the ones that perceive to the calls and enactment the files. We assistance Canadians astatine their worst moments. We besides are determination for our regular members, the uniformed members. They wouldn't beryllium capable to bash their occupation without us."

One of her main asks is for the authorities to classify RCMP telecommunications operators  as a nationalist information occupation, which would interaction erstwhile employees tin retire. 

"Without us, determination isn't overmuch nationalist information wrong Canada," she said.

The audit makes 5 recommendations, including a telephone for a nationalist recruitment and retention strategy, an update successful grooming to amended hole operators and to acceptable up a tailor-made wellness and wellness strategy.

The RCMP accepted the findings and suggested enactment is underway to instrumentality the recommendations. 

"Lessons learned, including applicable strategies, tools and materials volition beryllium taken from upcoming recruiting workshops and volition beryllium shared with all RCMP divisions arsenic portion of the nationalist OCC recruiting strategy," said spokesperson Marie-Eve Breton.

"The RCMP continues to prosecute with the union, having had 2 caller moving radical meetings with them, 1 of which was focused connected retention, arsenic we proceed to enactment to enlistee and clasp radical to enactment successful these captious nationalist information roles."

Federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree was not disposable for an interview. 

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is struggling, here's wherever to look for help:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call oregon substance 988.

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling connected the website.

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour situation centre.

• This usher from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines however to speech astir termination with idiosyncratic you're disquieted about.