More than 400 RCMP members accused of misconduct

A RCMP officer leaves the court at the National Bank Open, in Toronto, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)

More than 400 members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were accused of misconduct in 2024, leading to nearly 20 dismissals and demotions.

According to the RCMP, it logged 443 cases of alleged misconduct in 2024 involving 408 employees. Nearly one quarter of concluded misconduct cases resulted in “serious” disciplinary measures, such as being declared ineligible for promotion or being forced to forfeit more than 80 hours of pay. Ten RCMP employees were also demoted to a lower rank or level, which was more than double the number of demotions made over the previous two years.

Seven of the misconduct cases resulted in termination or direction to resign, which was the most severe consequence. Over 70 per cent of concluded cases led to remedial or corrective measures such as special training, close supervision or deferred promotions.

The misconduct cases were revealed in the RCMP’s Report on the Management of the RCMP Conduct Process, which was quietly released on Jan. 21. The report from Canada’s federal police force covers the 2024 calendar year.

While the report doesn’t provide details on specific misconduct cases, it does outline a range of behaviour that led to discipline, including improper social media posts, sexual misconduct, abuse of authority and even Criminal Code offences.

The 443 employee misconduct allegations reported in 2024 were a 12 per cent increase over the previous year, when the RCMP logged 394 misconduct allegations.

“As we continue to strengthen our conduct process, our unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of respect, accountability, and transparency remains essential,” assistant RCMP commissioner Alfredo Bangloy said in the report’s introduction. “These efforts are foundational to building and maintaining trust - both within the RCMP and with the communities we proudly serve.”

The 408 Mounties accused of misconduct in 2024 make up less than two per cent of the RCMP’s workforce of 21,641. While misconduct allegations were recorded across all ranks and civilian roles, RCMP constables accounted for 61 per cent of all cases despite representing 54 per cent of the RCMP’s workforce. Of the 443 misconduct cases reported in 2024, 158 were concluded and resulted in disciplinary measures.

In 2024, Ottawa directed federal departments and agencies to begin creating annual reports on employee misconduct and wrongdoing.

Reports that have already been filed show that hundreds of federal employees have been terminated or disciplined for misconduct at departments and agencies such as the Canada Revenue Agency, Statistics Canada and Correctional Service of Canada.

Feb. 9, 2026: This story was updated with additional data from the RCMP.