RCMP unit that flags violent threats to PM, public figures faces workload burnout – National [Video]

Members of an RCMP unit that helps to protect the prime minister and other public figures face a risk of burnout due to a heavy workload and limited resources, says a newly released internal evaluation report.

The Protective Behavioural Analysis Unit “has faced numerous challenges” since its inception in 2020 and program implementation remains “incomplete and inefficient,” says the report compiled by RCMP reviewers.

The unit is “not sustainable” in its current form and the RCMP must address issues related to mandate, structure and workload “in both the immediate and longer term” to help the unit survive and thrive, the report concludes.

The unit provides operational support to the RCMP’s protective services and uses behavioural science methods to assess risk in order to prevent violence.

The report, completed in December and quietly posted online this month, lands just as candidates across the country prepare for several weeks of public events in a federal election campaign …