Rideau Hall, Friday, September 18, 2015

What a pleasure it is to welcome you to Rideau Hall today for this celebration of excellence in policing.

The Order of Merit of the Police Forces is one of this country’s most important honours.

Why?

Because policing is one of our most important professions. That’s why I’m so pleased to be chancellor of this order and to have this opportunity to say thank you for the extraordinary job you do.  

Great policing has always been synonymous with successful communities and nations. But sometimes, despite good policing, tough situations arise.

Where police forces excel, so, too, do the communities they serve. They reinforce one another in a virtuous circle.

As Sir Robert Peel concluded in his Nine Principles of Policing almost 200 years ago, the mark of great policing in a community is the absence of crime and disorder, rather than the highly visible presence of police to fight crime after the fact.

Those of you who are being invested into the Order of Merit of the Police Forces do much more than simply fight crime. You also play the positive role of community builder, working to create a sense of trust, inclusion and security among those you serve.

This is no easy task. It requires you to be smart, tough, caring and courageous all at once. You work under pressure, you encounter both dangerous and routine situations, and you’re constantly in the public eye.

But you do it willingly and you do it well, because that’s the kind of professional you are.

And that’s what makes you such worthy investees into this order.

Today, you’re being recognized for embodying the best of policing and community development.

This is something of which you, as well as your family members, colleagues and communities, should be very proud.

On that note, I would like to offer special thanks to your families and loved ones for their support of your efforts. I know that policing can take a toll on family as well, and I’m grateful for everything they do.

This order is a symbol of the central place of policing in our lives and society.

Those who wear it are an inspiration to their fellow police officers. Now, as part of this Order, you have an additional leadership role above and beyond the one you already had.

Never underestimate your ability to inspire and influence others through your actions.

Where great policing exists, so much becomes possible.

Thank you once again. And congratulations on receiving this honour.