As of May 15, 2006, Canada had almost 62,500 police
officers, a gain of about 1,400 from the previous year.
This represents a rate of 192 officers for every 100,000
population, up two percent  from 2005 and the highest rate
since 1994.
Police strength reached its peak in 1975 at 206 officers per 100,000 population. After declining during much of the 1990s, police strength has generally been on the rise this decade.
Canada's rate is still well below those in other industrialized
nations. For example, police strength ranges from 222 to 262
officers per 100,000 population in the United States, Australia
and England and Wales.
Among census metropolitan areas, Thunder Bay reported the most
officers (201) per 100,000 population, followed by Winnipeg,
Montréal and Regina. Greater Sudbury reported 150 officers per
100,000 people (242 officers.)
Female officers continue to increase at a faster pace than
their male counterparts. Canada had over 11,200 female officers
in 2006, up six percent from the previous year.
Women now account for 18 percent of police officers in
Canada, compared to 10 percent a decade ago.
In 2005, spending on policing totaled about $9.3 billon, an
average of $288 per Canadian. This was a 4 percent increase
over 2004 after adjusting for inflation and the ninth
consecutive increase in policing costs in constant dollars.
