Community Safety and Countering Crime Branch Overview
Branch Overview
The Community Safety and Countering Crime Branch (CSCCB) supports both the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction to execute their respective national leadership roles in policing, corrections, criminal justice, and border issues. These roles are supported through evidence-based policy, strategic advice, and federal-provincial-territorial and stakeholder engagement. The Branch also manages programs that support specific objectives with targeted partners, including program legislation, regulation, and machinery. To ensure collaboration and integrated efforts, the Branch also works closely with Public Safety Canada’s Portfolio departments and agencies.
The Community Safety and Countering Crime Branch is comprised of 4 Directorates (Policing Policy Directorate; Law Enforcement and Border Strategies Directorate; Crime Prevention, Corrections and Criminal Justice Directorate and; Research, Intergovernmental Affairs and Horizontal Policy Directorate). Currently the Branch employs 192 full-time employees with an operating budget of approximately $21 million and a Grants and Contributions budget of approximately $38 million.
Key Files and Responsibilities
Indigenous Policing Policy: policy advice on the First Nation Policing Program (FNPP) and policing in Indigenous communities; engagement on FNPP management, which implemented by the Emergency Management and Programs Branch in close collaboration with CSCCB; exploration of options in response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG); and, negotiation and implementation of modern treaty and self-government obligations as it pertains to the administration of justice.
Firearms and Operational Policing Policy: develop legislative, policy and regulatory requirements for the safe and legal use of firearms and firearms-related operational policing issues; and, policy expertise on Guns and Gangs and the administration of the Firearms Act.
RCMP Governance and Modernization: support to the overall implementation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) transformation agenda (e.g., harassment resolution process, the Deputy Ministers’ role as an ex-officio member of the Management Advisory Board and ongoing unionization of RCMP regular members).
Contract Policing Program/Police Services Agreements: leadership in managing the Contract Policing Program, which is the RCMP’s largest business line; leadership, negotiations, interpretation and day-to-day administration of the 2012 Police Service Agreements that underpin the program and enable the RCMP, as the service provider, to deliver front-line policing services to all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec, as well as some 150 municipalities; and, leadership on a Program sustainability assessment and strategies to resolve ongoing disputes with certain jurisdictions.
Security Cost Framework: administration of the Major International Event Security Cost Framework to facilitate cooperation with partner jurisdictions by reimbursing, through contribution agreements, the incremental, extraordinary, justifiable and reasonable policing and security related costs incurred in support of RCMP-led security operations for Prime Minister-led events (e.g. G8/G20).
Drug Policy: Cannabis: policy development to ensure organized crime does not infiltrate the legalized system and prevent the cross-border transport of cannabis. Drug Impaired Driving: policy development, research and public awareness regarding the dangers of drug-impaired driving; coordination of national drug impaired data collection and reporting. Opioids and other Drugs: engagement with law enforcement partners to develop and implement strategies to reduce supply and interdict the flow of illicit drugs, including targeting pill presses used to produce illegal drugs and the distribution of opioids through the postal system and online; develop and deploy de-stigmatization awareness training for law enforcement.
Border Law Enforcement and Immigration:policy development to advance key immigration and law enforcement initiatives with a nexus to border security and integrity (e.g., irregular migration, advancing maritime security policy, and administering contribution agreements with Indigenous communities to improve law enforcement and combat contraband tobacco); engagement and collaboration with lead departments to advance national police services (e.g., DNA, forensic casework), including Government responses, regulatory and legislative amendments, and negotiation and administration of federal-provincial-territorial contribution agreements.
Serious and Organized Crime: The Branch leads initiatives to counter organized crime including human trafficking, child sexual exploitation on the internet, money laundering and witness protection.
Crime Prevention Policy: policy direction on evidence-based crime prevention priorities and initiatives; lead federal-provincial-territorial working group on crime prevention; research and evaluation for the implementation of the National Crime Prevention Strategy; policy engagement with the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention.
Indigenous Community Safety and Community Corrections: policy direction underpinned by programming to Indigenous communities to develop community safety plans as part of the Action Plan to Address Family Violence and Violent Crimes against Aboriginal Women and Girls, as well as support Indigenous community engagement in the reintegration of Indigenous offenders; policy guidance to support departmental participation on the Deputy Minister Task Force on Reconciliation and the Deputy Minister Steering Committee for Aboriginal Justice.
Corrections and Criminal Justice: policy advice and support on corrections and criminal justice policy issues related to key legislation (i.e., Corrections and Conditional Release Act, Criminal Records Act, Expungement of Historically Unjust Offences Act, International Transfer of Offenders Act, Sex Offender Information Registration Act and the Victims Bill of Rights Act); policy direction and programming to support the reintegration of federal offenders, and engage with the National Joint Committee of Senior Justice Officials and the National Associations Active in Criminal Justice; funding to national voluntary sector organizations that support the reintegration of offenders and to Indigenous organizations for reintegration and alternatives to incarceration services for Indigenous offenders; management of the Public Safety National Office for Victims, which is responsible for outreach, referral services and educational activities to support victims of crime.
Research: evidence-based information and program evaluations to support policy development in the priority areas of crime prevention, corrections, criminal justice and law enforcement.
Intergovernmental Affairs and Horizontal Policy: strategic advice to Ministers, Deputy Minister and senior departmental officials to advance the federal-provincial-territorial public safety agenda and organize annual/bi-annual meetings to facilitate decision-making; corporate planning and reporting, including tracking of human and financial resources.
Key Partners
CSCCB works with a variety of partners, including Portfolio organizations and other federal government departments and agencies with community safety, corrections and security-related responsibilities. The Branch also works with non-governmental organizations, provinces and territories, Five Eyes and other international partners, and Indigenous organizations and communities.
CSCCB is also engaged with a variety of tri-service organizations, like the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, First Nations Chiefs of Police Association, Canadian Police Association and the Canadian Association of Police Governance, National Police Federation, Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation, Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee, International Association of Firefighters, and Canadian Paramedic Association.
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