Mission, Vision & Strategic Direction

Strategic Direction

1. Supporting our people: Building capacity and resilience
   Law enforcement teams are under enormous pressure. They are dealing with an unprecedented demand in calls for service, persistent public scrutiny, and ongoing exposure to crisis situations and trauma.
   As police leaders, we are responsible for the physical and mental health of our personnel.

2. Developing our leaders: Building a progressive pathway to police leadership positions
   In policing, there is a significant difference between assuming operational versus leadership roles. Many members who have made this transition have expressed concerns with the significant gaps that exist to be appropriately prepared to assume these management positions.
   As police leaders, we are responsible for succession planning, which involves meeting the training and development needs of Canada’s current and future police leaders.

3. Promoting our profession: Restoring pride in our officers and encouraging Canadians to choose policing as a career
   The image of policing as an honourable and desirable profession in Canada has been tainted by negative police interactions around the world and the resulting negative narratives expressed by social movements, social media campaigns, mainstream media coverage, elected officials, etc. As a result, public confidence in policing has been eroded and police services across the country are dealing with significant challenges to recruit and retain personnel.
   As police leaders, we are responsible for managing the image and reputation of our teams, police services, and profession. We are responsible for increasing awareness and understanding of police practices and for influencing and guiding the evolution of policing in Canada.

4. Protecting our communities: Recommending national best practices and policing standards in Canada
   There are several policing and public safety issues affecting all communities across the country. Most of these issues are long-standing and tend to evolve over time: drugs, electronic crime, guns, gangs, organized crime, road safety, terrorism, etc. There is also an expressed desire by critics, the public and even some of our members for the police to adopt a standardized approach to dealing with these issues. However, because policing falls under the provincial jurisdiction, there are sometimes regional differences in how police services are delivered in Canada.
   As police leaders, we are responsible for ensuring the safety of our officers and of the communities we serve by ensuring efficient, effective and progressive police operations.

Download an infographic of the CACP's Strategic Direction for 2023 to 2025.

Key Sectors of Activity

To achieve its objectives and to advance the strategic policing priorities, the CACP provides products and services focused on:

1. Governance: Conduct strategic business and financial planning in support of ethical decision-making and service delivery
2. Leadership Development: Deliver continuous professional learning conferences, workshops, webinars, and resources to develop new competencies and capacity
3. Thought Leadership: Develop policy positions, practice guidelines, strategies, and frameworksto develop consistent approaches and procedures to address strategic policing issues/priorities
4. Advocacy: Provide a consistent voice for the police community through government relations to influence various levels of government and departmental ministries with legislative and executive responsibility in law and policing
5. Research: Create, share and use research to inform and support evidence-based leadership and policing.
6. Public Education: Conduct public relations and outreach initiatives to encourage and facilitate community-based policing as well as positively influence public perception and trust in policing
7. Partnerships: Collaborate with professional and community partners as well as academia to expand the association’s capacity to promote and address strategic policing issues/priorities
8. Communications: Provide members with relevant, timely and accurate information about the activities of their professional association as well as key developments and trends in the policing sector
9. Recognition: Acknowledgethe efforts and accomplishments of Canadian law enforcement and public safety professionals who have exhibited excellence, innovation and initiative as they exercised their policing duties