Members of the RCMP unit, which helps protect the Prime Minister and other public figures, are at risk of burnout due to heavy workload and limited resources, a newly released internal assessment said.
Report compiled by RCMP reviewers said that since its inception in 2020, the protective behavior analysis unit has “already faced many challenges” and that the implementation of the plan remains “incomplete and inefficient”.
The report concluded that the unit’s current form is “unsustainable” and that the RCMP must address issues related to mandate, structure and workload “in direct and long term” to help the unit survive and thrive.
The department provides operational support for the RCMP protection services and uses behavioral science methods to assess risks to prevent violence.
The report, completed in December, was quietly released online this month, just as candidates across the country are ready to prepare for weeks of public events in federal elections expected to begin on Sunday.
Politicians of all kinds of stripes have always faced threats to their safety.
Members of Congress were followed on the street and were threatened with death. The threats target high-profile people and their families online, in public places and at home, the report said.
“The number and complexity of threats and violence against protected persons in Canada has been increasing over the past few years,” it said.
The RCMP cited in the report estimates that the number of threats to public officials has increased from about 1,300 in 2022 to 2,600 in 2023 and is expected to exceed 3,500 in 2024.
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This escalation prompted efforts to strengthen protection and security measures.
“With threats and aggression against VIP and protected persons in Canada and around the world, it is critical to the organizations responsible for the safety of these people, and can systematically identify, evaluate and monitor these risks,” the report said.
The Protective Behavior Analysis Unit uses certified threat experts, a scientifically based approach to reduce risk and management strategies to help protect people.
Many people interviewed by the report said the department’s services meet the evolving threat assessment needs of protective policing.
But the reviewer also concluded that after three and a half years, the unit’s implementation was only half complete.
The report noted that implementation gaps, including a lack of support for threat experts, unfinished standard operating procedures, lack of clarity on roles, responsibilities and training, was longer than expected two years.
The number of tasks assigned to the unit and the lack of effective triage processes resulted in a backlog and heavy workload, the report said.
The report said these difficulties frustrated the department’s efforts to fulfill its core mission of threat assessment, posing a risk that the threat may not be detected or inappropriately evaluated or monitored.
The reviewers found that workload requirements and training requirements exceeded the unit’s capabilities and threatened the well-being of employees and work-life balance.
“So far, the department’s success is largely due to its knowledgeable and focused staff, but these employees are at risk of burnout,” the report said.
Senior management told reviewers that their current priorities are to increase unit resources and implement effective tasks for analysis to address workload issues.
The accompanying management response to the report outlines several measures to be taken by the RCMP program, with implementation dates from this month to March 2027.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
