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1990 Report of the Auditor General of Canada

Main Points

27.1 The RCMP assists upon request over 400 Canadian law enforcement agencies by providing certain specialized services such as police training, forensic laboratory tests, fingerprint identification and a computerized law enforcement information system. These services contribute to the effectiveness of law enforcement across Canada (paragraphs 27.5 to 27.8).

27.2 Users have been generally satisfied with the level, type and quality of support services they have received from the RCMP (27.33 to 27.35, 27.49 and 27.106). However, our audit of the four RCMP entities providing these services indicated:

• Forensic Laboratory Services is currently replacing some of its older full-service laboratories with new full-service laboratories. In doing so, it has failed to consider more economical options such as a combination of full-service and limited-service laboratories (27.25 to 27.31).
• While the Canadian Police Information Centre has a number of system controls in place, it would benefit from an enhanced level of knowledge and control concerning the level of potential data misuse (27.56 to 27.58).
• The Canadian Police College has not made the necessary long-range curriculum and program adjustments. As a result, it has continued to provide a virtually unchanged curriculum and may not be fulfilling its intended mandate (27.68 to 27.72).
• Identification Services has not always provided the users of its services with the necessary level of information and participation to ensure services which meet user requirements (27.79 to 27.97).

27.4 User participation is vital to the success of service-oriented organizations. Currently, there is no consistent approach concerning user participation and input. Two of the service areas have advisory committees but the other two do not. Greater user participation is needed as an input to the design, development and operation of these services (27.33, 27.47, 27.67, 27.81 to 27.83 and 27.95).

General Background

27.5 The RCMP provides a wide range of specialized services to the Canadian law enforcement community, including forensic laboratory services, police training, criminal history records, fingerprint identification and law enforcement information such as wanted persons and registered vehicle owners. Exhibit 27.1 details these services which are described as Law Enforcement Services within the RCMP.

Exhibit not available

27.6 Although these services account for a small portion of RCMP expenditures, they make an essential contribution to the operations of law enforcement agencies. They possess a world-wide reputation which reflects not only on the image of the RCMP but also on Canada.

27.7 Sections 5 and 21(2) of the RCMP Act provide the authority for these services. They outline in broad terms the authority of the Commissioner of the RCMP to control and manage the Force. In 1973, Treasury Board approved changes to the RCMP's objectives. This was reflected in the 1974/75 Main Estimates as follows: "to assist upon request all Canadian law enforcement agencies by providing specialized police training and forensic laboratory, identification and information services".

27.8 Both the RCMP Act and the Treasury Board Minute provide a broad definition of these services to the law enforcement community. As a result, the various services and the units providing them have evolved somewhat differently. In 1988/89 the RCMP allocated more than $65 million and 860 person-years to provide these support services.

History

27.10 Over the years additional services were added by the RCMP. The Single Finger Print Collection was established in 1933 and the Firearms Registry in 1935. The first forensic laboratory was built in Regina in 1937, the Canadian Police College in 1968 and the Canadian Police Information Centre began on-line operations in 1972.

Environment

27.12 In 1966, the federal government reaffirmed its desire to provide RCMP support services free of charge to law enforcement agencies. At present the majority of these services are federally funded. However, from time to time, charges have been levied for components of certain services, (for example sharing the cost of Canadian Police Information Centre lines and terminals or paying for student meals at the Canadian Police College).

27.13 The fact that these services are provided free of charge adds a unique dimension to the demands placed upon the RCMP. Because there is implicitly no external client pressure for cost efficiency, the RCMP itself must be vigilant in ensuring due regard for economy and efficiency.

Audit Objective and Scope

27.15 The audit consisted of an examination of Forensic Laboratory Services (FLS), the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), the Canadian Police College (CPC) and Identification Services. The audit focussed on five themes which were reviewed with the RCMP:

• authority and scope of operations;
• ability to know and meet client needs;
• regard for efficiency and economy in servicing clients;
• accuracy and completeness of information and systems; and
• planning, project management, and accountability.

27.17 The following Law Enforcement Services were not included in the scope of this audit because they mainly provide an internal service to the RCMP.

• Professional Standards Directorate;
• Photographic Services and Support Services to RCMP Field Identification Units (Identification Services Directorate); and
• Informatics Directorate (except for CPIC).

Forensic Laboratory Services

Background

27.19 Each laboratory (with the exception of Montreal which offers only a counterfeit and documents service) provides services in the standard areas of forensic science: alcohol, chemistry, documents, firearms, hair and fibre, photography, serology and toxicology. Other specialized services such as Bloodstain Pattern Analysis and Genetic DNA technology are only offered in certain laboratories. Exhibit 27.2 details the services and workload of FLS laboratories.

Exhibit not available

27.20 Over the last three years the total caseload has remained at about 20,800 cases completed annually. Approximately 53 percent of FLS casework is from the RCMP itself either in its role as federal police (15 percent), provincial police (23.5 percent) or municipal police (14.5 percent). The rest of FLS clients are mainly independent municipal police forces.

Observations and Recommendations

FLS may be providing some services outside the scope of its mandate

27.22 One type of case which may exceed the scope of the FLS mandate is a Coroner's Act case. A Coroner's Act case constitutes a request from a provincial coroner or medical examiner for FLS services, usually in the disciplines of toxicology and alcohol, in the investigation of a death. The majority of these cases end up being non-criminal in nature. As such they could be considered outside the scope of the FLS mandate.

27.23 FLS indicates that little is being done by police departments and provincial coroners to screen cases which are obviously non-criminal in nature before submitting them for examination. During 1988 and 1989 approximately $2.5 million of casework or 10% of all FLS cases were Coroner's Act cases. Most of these cases come from provinces other than British Columbia and Alberta which have their own provincial laboratory facilities.

27.24 FLS should take steps to prevent obvious non-criminal cases from being submitted for examination.

RCMP response: Agree. Recognizing that the distinction between deaths with potential criminal involvement and those resulting from natural or disease processes is not well defined in policy, FLS will develop guidelines to assist coroners and Medical Examiners. Discussions with provincial authorities to resolve this matter have already commenced.

The construction of new laboratory facilities is made without adequate analysis of all options

27.26 FLS is now entering a new phase as older laboratories require reconstruction or renovation due to age, new government health and safety regulations or expanded space requirements. In addition FLS is considering relocating an existing laboratory and building a new one.

27.27 Treasury Board Administrative Policy (Chapter 540) stipulates that the planning process for capital projects should comprise a definition of needs, an identification of options and a cost/benefit analysis.

27.28 In the 1989 approval for reconstruction of the Regina laboratory, a thorough evaluation of all available options including a cost/benefit analysis of each option did not precede the final decision. While some needs were identified, the primary focus of the option analysis was directed toward construction or renovation of the laboratory, and property lease or buy decisions. Opportunities were missed for examining other options. For example, the concept of building a full-service laboratory was not challenged. Other relevant factors that affect the range of services offered and operating cost of the future laboratory were not considered either: how exhibits are or will be received; the degree to which workload is rising or decreasing; and the feasibility of contracting out certain routine tests.

27.29 During the period in which the reconstruction of the Regina laboratory was being considered, a new laboratory was being planned for construction in Winnipeg. Given the timing and proximity of these laboratories, the planning process could have taken into consideration the feasibility of specialization or combining both facilities.

27.30 Other laboratory systems use these approaches. The Centre for Forensic Science in Ontario, the Illinois State Forensic Laboratories and the Forensic Science Service Home Office in the United Kingdom have used satellite laboratories or designated laboratories that specialize in certain disciplines such as firearms or documents.

27.31 A similar situation exists concerning the potential relocation of the Sackville laboratory. Although a final decision has not been taken on the relocation and construction of this laboratory, deliberations to date have followed those of the Regina laboratory. The decision concerning the Sackville laboratory should not be taken in isolation. The number, size, location and degree of specialization of FLS laboratories across the Atlantic region need to be considered as part of a cohesive, cost effective strategy to service all clients in these provinces.

27.32 FLS should ensure that future laboratory construction decisions are based on the identification and cost/benefit analysis of all viable options.

RCMP response: Agree. The two oldest laboratories at Regina and Sackville are now in need of replacement. Prior to any final decision a full options analysis, including the possibility of consolidating some services to regional centres, if justified, will be completed.

FLS clients are generally satisfied with FLS services

27.34 The FLS approach to assigning priority to its cases has met the needs of its clients. Emergency cases are handled immediately and most cases with court dates are completed on time.

27.35 Another aspect of level of service is quality assurance. FLS has implemented most aspects of a good quality assurance program (exhibit control, equipment performance control, standardized procedures, staff selection and training, as well as periodic testing). The FLS testing program has expanded beyond administering announced proficiency tests which measure the capability of its scientists, to a blind testing program which measures the ability of the entire lab system to function reliably under everyday conditions. The current training and methodology manuals for some disciplines are incomplete or out of date. FLS plans to update these manuals over the next few years.

The FLS approach to performance measurement needs improvement

27.37 The difficulty with using cases as a unit to measure workload is that case size and complexity varies considerably. Exhibit 27.3 outlines two cases which demonstrate the differences in case size and complexity. For this reason, other laboratory systems have rejected systems which count cases and hours per case. Workload measures must be both homogeneous and at a level of detail (for example, counting the number of exhibits or tests) that make them usable for assessing individual and unit performance.

Exhibit not available

27.38 FLS employees provide hours-per-case data once a month. Other laboratories surveyed indicated that to be accurate, the collection of performance data should be an intrinsic part of the daily routine of laboratory work.

27.39 FLS takes the actual work performed, measured in hours per case and compares it against "standard hours per case" to measure productivity in each discipline. Except for the discipline of hair and fibre, the origin of "standard hours per case" is unknown and not validated. Most staff that we surveyed consider these standards inaccurate. FLS uses this data to forecast future resource requirements. As a result, it is difficult to accurately predict resource requirements.

27.40 FLS should improve its performance measurement system by using an appropriate unit of measurement, recording data daily and developing accurate standards.

RCMP response: Agree. FLS recognizes that the present Work Unit Reporting System requires improvement and accordingly has established a goal to re-evaluate the system as one component of a Management Information System Study which commenced in 1989.

Canadian Police Information Centre

Background

27.42 RCMP CPIC Services is a part of Informatics Directorate. It had an estimated budget of $10 million and 72 person-years in 1988/89. The RCMP has invested close to $25 million in equipment (for example, mainframes, computer drives, terminals, power and air conditioning) to support CPIC.

27.43 The CPIC network contains records from four separate sources: (i) files entered by police agencies -- wanted or missing persons, stolen vehicles, boats and property; (ii) files entered by RCMP Identification Services -- criminal history records; (iii) files entered by the police criminal intelligence community -- police criminal intelligence files; and (iv) records contributed by non-police agencies -- motor vehicles and penitentiary records.

27.44 In total, these data banks consist of almost 30 million records. Motor vehicle registrations and drivers licence records account for about 22 million of these, while criminal history records number 2.4 million.

27.45 Annually about 400 agencies perform over 87 million CPIC transactions (queries, inputs and record maintenance). Exhibit 27.4 outlines the variety of CPIC transactions which are performed over a network of 5,251 CPIC terminals. CPIC is up and running about 98% of the time.

Exhibit not available

27.46 CPIC users fall into three main groups: (1) more than 340 accredited police forces; (2) agencies with limited access to CPIC such as Parks Canada; and (3) agencies with no direct access (for example, Motor Vehicle Registrars).

27.47 The Commissioner of the RCMP is the sole authority for CPIC policy and procedures. A CPIC Advisory Committee, created in 1969, develops policy and recommends changes to the system. This Committee represents the 400 agencies and gives them an opportunity to provide input into the management of CPIC.

27.48 The ongoing operation of the CPIC system as well as the enforcement of all policy, auditing and training of users has been assigned to RCMP CPIC Services for all of Canada except in Ontario and Quebec where these responsibilities have been handled by the province.

Observations and Recommendations

Users are generally satisfied with CPIC but there are some areas of concern

• the backlog of user-requested system changes which have not been completed due to the age of the CPIC system and the limited number of resources assigned to programming CPIC system changes;
• lack of user knowledge of RCMP's future plans for CPIC, information vital to member agencies' strategy when planning changes or adjustments to their automated systems;
• the annual percentage of CPIC records which cannot be validated, (that is, a record which cannot be traced to its source file within fifteen minutes by the originating police force); and
• the inconsistent provision of provincial motor vehicle data across the CPIC network caused by the varied manner in which these data are provided to CPIC.

RCMP response: Agree. Action will be undertaken to address these concerns where they are within RCMP's control and within the context of a project for the future redevelopment of the system to meet current and future needs.

The control of CPIC data use needs improvement

27.52 The sensitivity of CPIC data stems from the system's capability to provide and integrate quickly large amounts of information. In addition, observation records (persons suspected of committing criminal offenses and those known to be dangerous to themselves and others, totalling 27,644 in 1989) which are not public information, are retained on the CPIC Persons File in the Investigative Data Bank.

27.53 Improper or sabotaged CPIC entries or unauthorized disclosure of information could result in wrongful arrest, danger to police officers, criminal actions, harassment or disclosure of police information.

27.54 While each terminal or device linked to the CPIC network must identify itself and the individuals using the device must enter their name and reason for entry when accessing CPIC, there are no centrally controlled unique individual identifiers such as Smart Cards, passwords or personal identification numbers, which are normally required when accessing a computer network of this size and sensitivity. Such identifiers would provide an investigative path back to an authorized individual if a problem occurs.

27.55 We also noted a certain physical aspect of the system that needed to be addressed. Since the disclosure of specifics in this chapter regarding this area would compromise the system, the matter has been brought to the attention of RCMP senior management.

27.56 Of the more than 45 million annual CPIC queries, RCMP CPIC Services annually monitors approximately 50 investigations of potential breaches of security reported by police departments and individuals. It is not known whether there is any CPIC data misuse other than the cases currently reported.

27.57 The CPIC Audit Procedures Manual is primarily focussed on the audit of data input and the security of terminals. However, auditors do review a small sample of queries and narrative traffic from the agency being audited to look for evidence that the individuals requesting CPIC data have entered their name and reason for entry and that law enforcement officers are making efficient use of the CPIC system by not tying up data traffic with needless narrative.

27.58 RCMP CPIC Services needs to provide better assurance that the appropriate measures are in place to identify and control the level of data misuse. At present the CPIC Audit Procedures Manual does not require auditors to verify that CPIC queries were made for legitimate purposes. RCMP officials have indicated that the manual will be updated to make this mandatory.

27.59 The RCMP should investigate the feasibility of unique identifiers for access to CPIC and augment its audit activities in this area.

RCMP response: Agree. The accuracy and timeliness of CPIC data is assured through a wide range of policy, procedural and technical measures. The current system has many built-in safeguards which make it difficult for exposures to occur. However, it is recognized that more could be done to secure data on the CPIC system from incidental exposure to unauthorized persons. CPIC 2001 will examine potential changes to CPIC which will improve system security and data integrity. One of the areas specifically targeted for this study is Smart Cards as Personal Identifiers.

The RCMP does not have an approved disaster recovery plan for CPIC

27.61 The RCMP's Departmental Security has completed both a threat assessment (May, 1988) and a draft contingency plan (January, 1990) for the Informatics Directorate. The threat assessment indicates that no site has been identified for restoring CPIC. Many of the functions identified in the draft contingency plan have not been assigned and there is no provision for the plan to be tested regularly.

27.62 CPIC Services has indicated that the maximum time that the Canadian police community can be without CPIC data before operations are seriously affected is 24 hours. At present the RCMP does not have an approved plan or capacity to recover CPIC in 24 hours should such a disaster occur.

27.63 The RCMP should ensure that it has the capability to recover CPIC within a period of time which meets user operational requirements.

RCMP response: Agree. Site disaster recovery has not been resolved because no alternate arrangements have been possible until recently at an acceptable cost. One such opportunity to be based on a reciprocal agreement is now under active negotiation. Twenty-four hour site recovery is not likely to be possible at an affordable cost, but restoration of CPIC operations within 72 hours appears feasible.

Canadian Police College

Background

27.65 CPC has grown from its initial training course for senior non-commissioned officers and constables in 1938, to six courses by 1971, culminating in the formation of a college in 1973.

27.66 CPC currently offers 35 different courses to between 2,200 and 2,500 Canadian and up to 100 foreign law enforcement officers annually. Courses are offered in two categories: management and specialized training. Exhibit 27.5 outlines the proportion of CPC training days dedicated to management and specialized training by type of training.

Exhibit not available

27.67 To provide advice and guidance to ensure that the College meets national needs, it has a 14-member Advisory Committee comprising one representative each from the RCMP, the Solicitor General of Canada, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, the CPC and the provinces.

Observations and Recommendations

CPC has not made the necessary long-range curriculum and program adjustments to fulfil its intended mandate

27.69 Many of these provincial institutions like the Ontario Police College, the Institut de Police du Québec and the B.C. Justice Institute can now offer comparable courses to those offered by the College, particularly in the area of management training. The College itself often assisted in establishing these programs in other institutes. As a result, the distinction between the College and other police training institutes has become less prominent. The Nielsen Task Force in 1986 observed that much more could be done to rationalize the training resources of the College, the RCMP, provincial institutes, municipal departments and community colleges.

27.70 Over the last decade, the curriculum of the College has not changed significantly. One reason for this has been the constant demand for existing programs. The College continues to place the majority of its effort on technical or specialized courses as shown in Exhibit 27.5. On the other hand, participants have indicated concern about the length and content of the College's highest-level management training program.

Exhibit not available

27.71 Although the College has periodically re-examined its ongoing activities against its original intended purpose, it has continued to provide virtually the same curriculum. The CPC Advisory Committee which provides guidance in this area is composed mainly of representatives from the law enforcement community. Our survey of committee minutes revealed that committee deliberations are generally focussed on the immediate concerns of seat allocation and annual training needs. The Advisory Committee has generally not addressed the overall direction of CPC.

27.72 If the College intends to play a leading role in national law enforcement training, it will require advice from a wider spectrum of advisors in fields such as criminology, sociology, management, education and administration.

27.73 The RCMP should re-examine the philosophy and purpose of the College relative to its current curriculum and practices in order to determine the right composition of management and specialized training within its role as a national training institution.

27.74 The College should assess whether it would benefit from the participation of a wider spectrum of expertise on its Advisory Committee.

RCMP response: Agree. In addition to the 1990/91 CPC Directional Statement, other initiatives have been or will be undertaken in such areas as: the reintroduction of the Directors of Police Training Conference and the recent initiation of the Futures Committee. The involvement of various disciplines such as law, criminology and sociology will supplement the activities of the existing CPC Advisory Committee.

The College does not validate most of its training programs on a regular and systematic basis

27.76 While the College has the mechanisms in place to systematically validate its training courses, it has only on occasion undertaken validation surveys. Such information would assist the College in making decisions concerning future course content and overall curriculum.

27.77 If CPC is to have the necessary information upon which to effect changes to curriculum and course content it should validate its courses regularly using recognized methodology.

RCMP response: Agree. This question has been addressed with the reinstitution of the Standards Analysis and Training Evaluation Committee in January of 1990. This committee is currently completing a multi-year plan for the systematic evaluation of all of the courses at the College.

Identification Services

Background

Exhibit not available

Observations and Recommendations

Client co-operation and participation are essential to the success of identification services provided by the RCMP

27.80 In addition to contributing information, another dimension of co-operation is also necessary. Both the RCMP and its clients must agree upon technology (how information is retained and accessed) as well as technique (how data is prepared and provided by contributors) in order to make the service operational.

27.81 The tasks of acquiring the necessary level of co-operation from a vast number of clients with varying requirements and interests is formidable. Identification Services has used a survey approach to identify client needs and perceptions. Survey results are then analyzed, decisions are taken and users are informed and invited to provide feedback. This approach has been augmented with a series of periodic visits to individual clients.

27.82 The formation of the Identification Services Committee, Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police as well as the newly formed Canadian AFIS Users Group (members who have or plan to acquire RCMP compatible automated fingerprint identification equipment) provide another source of user input.

27.83 Identification Services has not used an advisory committee which would permit clients to participate in the development of Identification Services policy and the future level of service. CPIC and CPC have utilized such committees to assist initially in the design of their services and then subsequently as an ongoing forum for user participation and policy input.

27.84 The following two examples illustrate the importance of co-operation, participation and timing in the provision of these services and how problems can develop.

Mugshot repository is not fully utilized

27.86 A recent RCMP survey indicated that most police forces seldom used the RCMP central criminal mugshot repository. Police departments generally acquire mugshots directly from the last arresting police force. Some agencies have acquired their own computerized system to store mugshots locally.

27.87 As a result, the RCMP central repository is neither complete nor up-to-date. RCMP Identification Services is aware of the problem and is reassessing the situation.

Latent fingerprint identification role is not clear

27.89 Latent fingerprints are unknown fingerprint impressions taken from the scene of a crime. The RCMP identifies latent prints by comparing them with its repository of ten-prints (see Exhibit 27.7). Exhibit 27.8 provides an overview of the estimated annual number of latent prints taken, searched and identified locally by police forces as well as the number of latent prints sent to the RCMP.

Exhibits not available

27.90 A number of reasons have been identified by the RCMP as to why many latent prints are not sent to them:

• latent prints are not of a sufficient quality to be searched through an automated system;
• police forces do not have the time to prepare these prints for search by the RCMP;
• police forces are unsure that these prints can be searched in the necessary time; and
• police forces may be less interested in sending the prints to the RCMP since the rate of identification is low (about 5 percent).

27.92 While many police forces did not express concern, some major ones which had either acquired or planned to acquire their own AFIS system for local latent print search, raised a number of questions: the exact nature and level of service that they could expect from the RCMP after the upgrade; assurance that the planned RCMP level of service could meet their immediate latent search requirements; and the degree to which current technology could provide a system with a better capability to search latent prints.

27.93 RCMP responses to these questions outlined the level of service that AFIS Phase IV could provide. Information was provided concerning improvements to its current level of service as well as its potential to deal with latent prints not presently being sent to the RCMP.

27.94 The net result has been that two police forces have installed their own automated systems which are not compatible with the RCMP system, while three others have acquired equipment which is compatible. Other regional AFIS networks are being considered in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario whose databases will in part duplicate the RCMP ten-print central repository.

27.95 We recognize that with such evolving technology and the different perceptions of its users, it has been difficult to get all police forces to agree to the RCMP approach. However, in view of the risk concerning the proliferation of AFIS systems and its resulting cost implications, a more participative process will be necessary to formulate national policy and plans.

CASE STUDY: Upgrade of the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS Phase IV)

The results from a task force in 1984 and a user survey in 1985 indicated the following concerns regarding its existing fingerprint identification capability: the ability to handle an increasing workload within a reasonable turnaround time; the ability to search a latent print from a major crime through the entire fingerprint database; and the ability to provide an identification rate comparable to what could be achieved with the latest technology available.

In 1986, the RCMP outlined its AFIS Phase IV plan to (i) eliminate the manual classification for ten-prints, thereby reducing person-year requirements by 15 person-years at a saving of $517,500 per year; (ii) increase latent fingerprint search capability; and (iii) bring all AFIS databases on-line to allow concurrent searching, remote access and reduce turnaround time. Treasury Board gave effective project approval for an expenditure of $3.2 million to complete AFIS Phase IV during the period of 1 April 1987 to 31 March 1989.

As indicated in paragraphs 27.92 and 27.93 of this chapter, some major police forces raised questions concerning the exact nature and level of service that the RCMP could provide under the new system in order to decide the AFIS capability that they would require locally. Two police departments have already acquired AFIS equipment which is not RCMP compatible. Three others have acquired compatible equipment and other major police forces are considering their future plans.

The project completion date has been delayed to July 1990 and the project budget has increased to $4.4 million. In addition, it is costing the RCMP additional money for the loss of expected person-year savings. However, the RCMP has indicated that the vendor has loaned its equipment at no cost, to speed the conversion process. In addition, the vendor has agreed to convert 327,000 of the 2.4 million fingerprint cards to the new system at no cost to the RCMP.

While the Treasury Board-approved expenditure of $4.4 million covers the cost of equipment and software, other development costs such as card conversion and the rental of a data communication line to pilot test remote access with Vancouver City Police and RCMP "E" Division were handled within existing RCMP budget allocations.

At this time the complete cost of AFIS Phase IV has not been calculated and is unknown to the RCMP. Total costs would include capital costs, duty, taxes, exchange rate, conversion cost, site preparation and maintenance of not only the RCMP system but also the systems purchased by other police forces as well as the network to integrate them. In 1986 the RCMP estimated that if all Canadian police forces opted for their own AFIS systems (as opposed to networking with the RCMP) the total expenditures across Canada could easily exceed $50 to $60 million. The total future cost of the completed AFIS network as planned has not been identified.

In conclusion, it appears from the history of this project that RCMP management and AFIS clients have not always had the necessary depth of information at the right time to make informed decisions. More complete and timely information will be necessary in the future to ensure the success of the planned AFIS network.

27.96 The RCMP should implement a mechanism for developing Identification Services policy which would encourage law enforcement community participation, rationalize the growing proliferation of AFIS systems and ensure a shared future direction.

RCMP response: Agree. The recently formed Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Identification Services Committee and the Canadian AFIS Users Group will vigorously pursue participation by Canadian police agencies in the future role and direction of Identification Services CPS functions. Surveys and visitations to client sites by senior Identification personnel will monitor the success of programs as well as provide a vehicle for a shared future direction.

Identification Services is taking steps to improve its performance measurement and budgeting practices

General Observations and Recommendations

27.99 The existence of RCMP's Law Enforcement Services facilitates operational communication and co-operation among law enforcement agencies across Canada. Services provided in such areas as information (CPIC), training (CPC) and fingerprint search (Identification Services) contribute towards consistency of approach across all of the provinces.

Law Enforcement Services is not an integrated entity

27.101 An initiative in 1977 by the Commissioner to integrate these services both nationally and regionally through a network of advisory committees and regional co-ordinators was not implemented. The most recent organizational change has placed these organizations under a Deputy Commissioner who is also responsible for Protective Policing, an area which requires a great deal of ongoing managerial attention.

27.102 Ideally, support services should be provided by organizations which are responsive to the needs of their clients in order to ensure the proper quality and level of service. Without a charge for service, due regard for internal efficiency and economy must be an essential part of managing these organizations.

27.103 Many of the organizations audited were already working towards improvements in the area of performance measurement. There is, however, a great deal that still needs to be done to create a managerial climate which supports the use of valid performance indicators, accurately determines productivity, and holds managers and employees accountable for both the quantity and quality of their output.

27.104 During this audit the RCMP was unable to provide the total cost of these support services. It should be possible to identify, track and cost all support services provided to external users.

27.105 The RCMP should consolidate these services in such a manner so as to make them a distinct integrated RCMP entity capable of identifying its outputs, costs and level of performance.

RCMP response: Agree. The RCMP accepts that enhanced co-ordination is desirable and will work toward that goal through examination of alternatives to provide a greater capability of identifying outputs, costs and level of performance.

Clients are generally satisfied

What should the RCMP's future support service role be?

27.108 Changes in technology and law enforcement practices have affected these services over their history. Changes have occurred in their size, complexity and cost. Former manual and centralized services have been replaced by automated and decentralized services. However, policy adjustments have not kept pace with these changes.

27.109 The Solicitor General of Canada and the RCMP should re-examine current policy and practices concerning the RCMP's support services to ensure that the needs of the law enforcement community will be met in the future. To this end, the following questions should be explored.

• What level of service will the RCMP provide in the future?
• What should the future cost arrangements be?
• How and to what degree should users participate in the future development of policy in these areas?
• What strategy will be necessary to take Law Enforcement Services into the future?