Sexual victimization among Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

OBJECTIVE

The present study was designed to provide the first in-depth, academically peer-reviewed assessment of sexual victimization among Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

METHOD: A representative sample of RCMP (n = 1,324; 76.5% men) completed the self-report survey.

RESULTS

Participants reported a higher overall lifetime history of sexual assault than would be expected for the general population (p < .05). Women participants reported a higher prevalence of lifetime history of sexual assault (p < .05). Participants reported being sexually assaulted during the RCMP Cadet Training Program (CTP; n = 27), with comparable proportions of men and women. Participants reported being sexually assaulted while on duty (n = 168), with a greater proportion of women reporting being sexually assaulted than men (p < .05). Women more often reported being sexually assaulted while on duty by a superior, coworker or peer, or subordinate, whereas men more often reported being sexually assaulted by a civilian. Participants (n = 94) reported being sexually harassed during the CTP and while on duty (n = 282), with a greater proportion of women reporting being sexually harassed during the CTP and while on duty.

CONCLUSIONS

RCMP cadets appear to be sexually assaulted and sexually harassed less frequently than Canadian university and military college students, whereas RCMP appear to be sexually assaulted more often while on duty than Canadian men and women in the general population while at work; however, direct comparisons are problematic because of differing frames for questions and time spans. The current results help quantify sexual victimization among RCMP, which can support ongoing and novel prevention and intervention strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).