Saturday, February 28, 2009

TERRITORIAL IMPERATIVES IMPEDE POLICING


Eleven municipal forces and 126 RCMP detachments.

This is the single glaring reason that Pickton avoided even the most cursory attention while he was busy killing women.

This is the single glaring reason that Olson was able to continue killing young girls and boys for so long.

And it is the single glaring reason that criminal subcultures called gangs are able to flourish here in the greatest place on earth (unless you get hit with a stray bullet.)

Yet, the mayors of every little burg and whistle stop in the region firmly and stubbornly resist the idea that Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu and former Chief Bob Stewart all champion - One Metro Police Force.

The argument from the Village Idiots is that they will lose that homey hoody personal touch that folks in Tsawwassen and Port Moody now currently enjoy. Or so we are told by the officials.

Maybe.

Former Vancouver Police Chief asks in this morning's Globe, "Can you think of any private business that would embrace such a self-evident dysfunctional structure?"

Here, for the record, are the sticks-in-the-mud on this issue: the mayors of Delta (Lois Jackson), Port Moody (Joe Trasolini) ans Surrey (Dianne Watts) to name just a few.

It's good to cover your ass...until it gets shot off while you're hunting for better yogurt.

3 comments:

NRF said...

Small municipal forces (example: West Van) are likely to be corrupt little fellowships that pay more attention to social events than professional skill training. The RCMP is a bureaucratic political quagmire that protects its own culture even when that offends principles of justice.

We should decide today to terminate the RCMP community policing agreement when it expires in 2012. Appoint VPD Chief Jim Chu, with a support staff of experienced officers and independent organizational experts, Superintendent of a new BCPD, formed by amalgamating every existing local force.

Create also a civilian oversight and complaints investigation branch, completely separated from operational police. Supervise that agency with a board expert in legal and human rights, chaired perhaps by a seconded Supreme Court judge.

We need to focus on regional policing that is effective and trusted by the citizens. The Dziekanski Inquiry proves the RCMP is incapable and, more importantly, unworthy of being the prime law enforcement agency in this province.

Anonymous said...

Living in Tsawwassen, I am content with the Delta Police force, they seem to do a good job.

I think the problem is more basic, the RCMP. The RCMP are utterly incompetent and the municipalities with the most 'gang' problems are policed by the RCMP.

What is needed is a provincial police force, not some constabulary responsible to Ottawa and only Ottawa.

Want better policing? Get rid of the RCMP.

Anonymous said...

One cuty one fire dept. one police force one set of coucilors. The tax payers would save millions. The sitting politicians will never vote to eliminate their jobs.

When we do choose a single unified police force please do not let it be the RCMP