RCMP Approvals in BC

[KL3-Something]

I couldn't care less about opinion polls. They are largely based on what the people see/hear about in the media. And years ago I lost faith in the media presenting balanced reporting.

I gauge the level of public satisfaction by the people I deal with every day. Those who I help (even when I can't really help them), those who I am arresting (many of whom thank me for the way they were treated) and even the people who catch themselves and wonder why they just thanked me for the ticket I just handed them.

I'll refrain from commenting on the "leadership" issue.

[36Drew]

I know what you mean about city / regional police. Lived in Abbotsford for 10 years - saw the transition from two forces (Abbotsford Police and Matsqui RCMP) to one (Abbotsford Police). Quite a difference after the change. (Positive change)

Actually, it was the RCMP in Abbotsford, and Matsqui had their own force (Matsqui Police). The Abbotsford police were the renamed Matsqui police that were kept when the two townships amalgamated. I, personally, preferred the RCMP. There were some hotheads in the Matsqui force. Perhaps you remember "Moses" being shot down by the Mission bridge?

(ps. 18 years in Abbotsford. Go Panthers.)

[twofingers]

You are correct! My apologies. Amazing how that memory flickers in an out with age.......was I going up the stairs or down the stairs?

[Merry]

I believe the RCMP hurt themselves in the realm of public opinion in BC with the way they handled situations such as the Ian Bush affair, or the tasering incident at Vancouver Airport. Rightly or wrongly the public perception was of a force more interested in covering their own *bleep* than in getting to the bottom of what really happened. And perception is more effective than reality when it comes to public relations.

Although this situation seems to have changed when one considers how the force handled the Mantler issue, the damage has already been done in the minds of many members of the Public, and the force is going to have to work twice as hard now to restore that squandered public confidence.

IMO individual members can contribute by going out of their way to be more friendly to members of the Public they come into contact with while doing their job (all those who are not criminals). While I've encountered many very helpful, friendly officers over the years, I've also encountered some arrogant, over officious ones who do nothing to help improve the Public image of those in their profession. And that needs to change.

It used to be that police officers were viewed as our neighbours and friends, as well as enforcers of the law. But nowadays, we often only view them in that latter capacity, because in many cases that's the only time we come into contact with them. When we're either doing something wrong, or perceived to be doing something wrong, or being checked on to make sure we're not doing anything wrong. Maybe officers need to get out into the community, and interact more with those citizens they are hired to serve. And when they are approached by someone who just wants a friendly answer to a friendly question about something they are concerned about, maybe they should react in an equally friendly manner, rather than acting as if they're above dealing with such trivialities. I'm not suggesting ALL officers react that way, but far too many of them do, and it wasn't always like that.

What I'm suggesting could easily be acheived by having more officers on "foot patrol" who are willing to answer simple questions when approached by someone. I know doing so is not "law enforcement" but it would go a long way towards improving their public image, and hence their public support, which is essential for a police force is to be truly effective. A good example of what I'm talking about was one day last summer when I approached a police officer who was riding his bike through the downtown lakefront park and asked a question about where I could find a particular activity that was taking place in the park that day. I figured police usually know about what's going on, so he'd be a good person to ask. I didn't really ask him in his capacity as a police officer, more in his capacity as a human being who probably knew the answer to my question as a function of his job. I got the brush off, and a funny look that implied "I'm not a tourist operator lady" and he went on his way, leaving me no wiser. Even if he didn't actually know the answer to my question, he could have handled it a lot differently by simply saying "I'm sorry; I wish I could help you, but I don't know myself where that is) or something like that. It wouldn't have taken any more of his time, and would have left me with a much better impression of "our boys in blue".

ANY profession where you deal with the public requires a lot of tact and diplomacy. And far too many of our police officers tend to treat EVERYONE as though they're some kind of law breaker. It wouldn't hurt to remember sometimes that the vast majority of people they come into contact with are simply human beings who want to be treated in a friendly manner. Respect is a two way street.

[36Drew]

Yes, the RCMP (as an organization) has had issues. I can tell you, from first-hand experience, that a municipal police force will also have issues. As I mentioned, I lived in Abbotsford (Abbotsford proper, not Clearbrook) for 18 years. 16 of those 18 years there were two police forces in the area: RCMP for Abbotsford, and Matsqui Police for Clearbrook/Matsqui. The town border was McCallum Road.

I can tell you that there were far more public complaints about the Matsqui Police than the RCMP. Some of their members were abusive, aggressive, and just generally held the public in disdain. There were allegations of corruption of a few of the officers, and some of the bad apples were, in fact, really bad. The "Moses" story is a good example. Matsqui Trail was part of their jurisdiction. In the early 90's there was a transient fellow who was bunkered up down there. He walked around in a robe and carried a cane (hence the nickname Moses). Matsqui Police were known to "check-in" (not in a good way) on him from time to time. The final encounter saw the few members previously mentioned unload something to the tune of 30 rounds into the fellow in the wee hours of the morning. They had apparently disturbed him in his sleep and he got a little belligerent. I seem to recall a head or two rolling over that one.

The handling of the gang issues leading up to the shooting of Kirby Martin was another one. The Matsqui Police knew where and approximately when, yet did nothing. The RCMP at the time had been issuing warnings about rising gang problems in the town. Matsqui, in the meantime, seemed to shrug off gang-related activity as a non-event.

I do believe that since the amalgamation and a few changes within the city, the Abbotsford Police did in fact change for the better. I don't have much experience with them, however, as I moved away from there within a couple years after the amalgamation.

What I find interesting in comparison today is that Abbotsford has ~216 sworn officers on staff, while Kelowna only has ~160. The towns are about the same size and population. Perhaps we need more here so that the existing members aren't under extraordinary stress.

[quagmaire]

Definitely worth 27 minutes of your time:

http://www.nfb.ca/film/whistling_smith