October 10, 2025
Ottawa, ON – The National Police Federation applauds the release of a new national study by The Psychological Trauma and Stress Systems (PTSS) Lab that strongly supports what Canadian police officers, and their families have long known: many public, media, and armchair pundit opinions about policing in Canada are increasingly negative and unfair, with little factual justification. Led by Dr. Nick Carleton, the study provides the first-ever detailed national analyses of serious bodily harm exceeding legally approved standards during police interactions, showing that such use of force is extremely rare and occurs at a much lower rate than comparable physical harm in other professions, such as healthcare.
The National Police Federation is calling on the media, policymakers, and public discourse leaders to ground future conversations about policing in evidence, not assumptions. Media depictions and public or “expert” commentary often overlook the complexity of police decision-making, especially in high-risk situations involving public safety. The study found that serious harm involving police using force that exceeds legally approved standards occurs in less than 0.001% of interactions—yet public narratives frequently vilify individual officers. In contrast, similar harm in healthcare is more often attributed to systemic issues. This imbalance in perception can have serious consequences: it erodes public trust, damages police-community relationships, and undermines recruitment, retention, and reconciliation efforts.
From 2014 to 2023, serious bodily harm involving breaches of policy or conduct, defined in the study as “Force Exceeding Legally Standard Operating Procedures”, occurred in just 1.89 cases per 100,000 police occurrences (1 in every 53,000). For comparison, avoidable harm during hospitalizations was reported at a rate of 5,566.67 per 100,000 (1 in every 18) hospitalizations.
“This data shows us that Canadian police officers are doing an incredible job—far better than what’s often portrayed in the media,” said Brian Sauvé, President and CEO of the National Police Federation. “Our Members and all police officers are often unfairly judged and second-guessed by individuals with no real policing experience or data, while the true data shows police officers are serving their communities with skill, compassion, and professionalism. It’s time we started recognizing and celebrating their excellence, as we do other professions in public service.”
“This study shows that when you look at the facts, Canadian police officers are not just doing their jobs well—they’re exceeding expectations,” said Dr. Nick Carleton, the study’s lead author. “The data also supports previous evidence of a double standard: in healthcare, mistakes are usually seen as unintentional, or as systemic issues that need fixing. But in policing, even rare incidents are treated as intentional, or individual failures, and are often sensationalized in the media without proper context.”
Police officers are trained to preserve life and only use force when absolutely necessary to protect the public and themselves. Every incident where police officers use force is subject to extensive oversight, including independent civilian investigations to ensure compliance with police authorities and practice.
Despite these rigorous systems, public and media narratives too-often outright accuse or imply that officers act with malicious intent when a subject is injured. Conversely, in healthcare, similar errors resulting in physical harm are typically viewed as accidents and rarely result in individual blame or public scrutiny.
“RCMP Members and police officers across the country joined this profession to help people,” added Sauvé. “They’re community-minded, empathetic, and resilient. When they are forced to make difficult decisions in dangerous, high-pressure situations, those moments stay with them forever. They deserve our support—not judgement rooted in misinformation.”
As this new research clearly shows, the overwhelming majority of police interactions are peaceful, professional, and carried out in service of public safety.
Read the full study at: https://rsc-src.ca/en/voices/contextualized-assessment-duty-related-bodily-harm-associated-with-canadian-police-services
About the National Police Federation:
The National Police Federation (NPF) represents ~20,000 RCMP Members serving across Canada and internationally. We are the largest police union in Canada. The NPF is focused on improving public safety for all Canadians, including our Members, by advocating for much-needed investment in the public safety continuum. This includes investments in police resourcing and modern equipment, as well as social programs including health, addiction, and housing supports to enhance safety and livability in the many communities we serve, large and small, across Canada.
For more information: https://npf-fpn.com/
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Media contact:
Sarah Kavanagh
Communications and Media Relations Advisor
[email protected]
