The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is being held back by aging, outdated technology and a risk-averse culture, according to a new internal report that calls for significant and rapid investment to modernize its information management and information technology systems.
Management Advisory Board's stark warning
In February, the RCMP's Management Advisory Board sent Commissioner Mike Duheme an advisory letter detailing the critical state of the force's IM/IT systems. The letter, recently posted online, warns that old and failing systems prevent the RCMP from adopting modern technologies, leaving it increasingly behind its partners technologically.
“Current IM/IT limitations, such as aging infrastructure, siloed legacy systems, and isolated databases, adversely affect policing effectiveness, evidence-based decision-making, and, therefore, public safety. Temporary fixes are costly and unsustainable,” wrote Doug Moen, chair of the MAB's Finance and Administration Standing Committee.
Four recommendations for overhaul
The letter makes four broad recommendations: prioritize funding for technology improvements, break down internal silos to enhance data sharing, design a better plan for faster IM/IT upgrades, and address the force's technical debt—the accumulated cost of quick fixes that make future changes harder and more expensive. The report notes that adequate funding has been scarce, and many recent attempts to secure it were unsuccessful.
“The RCMP has a vision of where it wants to be, but needs top leadership support, a detailed plan and the necessary resources and mechanisms to get there,” Moen wrote.
Small improvements show promise
Despite the challenges, the report highlights that even small system improvements have delivered tangible benefits. New automation and AI tools, including bots for access to information and privacy requests, transcription tools, and mobile decryption aids, have produced measurable improvements.
The report also reveals that the RCMP created a generative AI chatbot named “Polly” to help employees answer questions about the organization's policies.
Impact on hiring and public safety
The report emphasizes that the personnel security program, responsible for vetting new hires, would greatly benefit from technological upgrades, especially as the government aims to hire 1,000 new RCMP employees quickly. The MAB warned that without significant transformation, the force's effectiveness and public safety will continue to suffer.
