RCMP Pay Grumbles

Some RCMP members are expressing their displeasure with what they feel are insufficient wages by removing the yellow stripe on uniform pants. With the heavy concentration of RCMP members in the lower mainland area of British Columbia working in close proximity to other police forces earning a higher salary, the imbalance is unfair in some aspects.

RCMP salaries are decided by the federal government and based on a combination of factors which includes the salaries of several police forces in other parts of the country. The government tries to make RCMP salaries competitive. When providing contract policing services to areas that can range from small towns, when the police officer is one of the higher paid members of the community, to larger cities with substantially higher costs of living, reaching the right balance for both the police officer and those that pay the salary can be a challenge.

This is not the first time, nor probably the last, that RCMP members have resorted to overtly airing their dissatisfaction with pay and working conditions. While some feel having a union may be the answer, the federal government may have other thoughts. Perhaps the day will come when the RCMP will no longer be involved with municipal and provincial policing, focusing strictly on federal law enforcement.