About 55,000 Canadians work as police officers and prison guards, which means one officer or guard for every 550 Canadians. The rate is highest in the northern territories, where there is one for less than every 300, and lowest in Alberta and the Maritime provinces, where there is one for every 600 or more.

Fewer violent crimes occur in Canada today than was the case ten years ago. In 1998, 503 murders were reported. The total of all criminal offenses (including theft, robbery, break-and-enter, fraud, and prostitution) was 2,561,155, about one such incident for every fifteen Canadians.