COVID-19 Updates: Taking steps to return to normal.
- Public health restrictions: Alberta entered Step 2 on March 1.
- Book your vaccine: Albertans 5+ can get it now. Get third dose when eligible.
COVID-19 Updates: Taking steps to return to normal.
Learn about the police services and oversight bodies and systems that keep our province and Albertans safe.
Policing in Alberta is community-based. Police services, oversight bodies, the Alberta government and a number of independent agencies and organizations, civilian groups and municipal bodies work in partnership across our province to:
The Police Act, Police Service Regulation and provincial standards set out roles and responsibilities – and how police services, oversight bodies and associated policing partners and systems operate.
Where the RCMP have been contracted to provide the police services, requirements of the RCMP Act also apply.
Provincial standards are in place for both police services and police oversight. These standards include the Alberta Provincial Policing Standards and Policing Oversight Standards for commissions and committees.
There are 3 types of police services in Alberta:
Police services are provided with support by the Alberta government in many forms, including:
This independent agency combats organized and serious crime, bringing together Alberta’s law enforcement resources to investigate everything from drug trafficking to child exploitation and gang violence.
The balance between the independence and authority of law enforcement on one hand and their accountability to the public and the civilian authority, on the other, is a vital part of our democratic society.
The oversight system is a delivered through an arrangement of groups, systems and processes, including government bodies, such as:
Community oversight for policing is provided at various levels and in various forms, depending on the service type and population:
These civilian groups work directly with police agencies to:
Police commissions can appoint police chiefs; policing committees can assist in selecting officers in charge.
Commissions have more extensive responsibilities and also:
These bodies don’t oversee the daily operations of police services – that’s the responsibility of the police chiefs or RCMP officers in charge.
To find out more about oversight provided in your community, contact the Alberta Association of Police Governance or your municipal council.
This branch develops standards and oversees police and public security services, such as the:
The branch also:
This independent agency, created under the Police Act, investigates police incidents and complaints involving serious injury, death and other serious matters.
This independent board, established under the Police Act, hears appeals from citizens and police officers regarding complaints of officer misconduct and may conduct inquiries respecting complaints or police related matters.
This independent agency, created by Parliament, ensures public complaints made about the conduct of RCMP members are examined fairly and impartially.
In 2011, the complaint and disciplinary process in Alberta’s Police Act was enhanced to include a requirement that alternative dispute resolution processes be offered, in all appropriate situations, early in the police complaint process.
Was this page helpful?
You will not receive a reply. Do not enter any personal information such as telephone numbers, addresses, or emails.
Your submissions are monitored by our web team and are used to help improve the experience on Alberta.ca. If you require a response, please go to our Contact page.