(Aired on August 20, 2010)
Some columnists in Kamloops like to tee off on the police, whether it's individual officers or entire forces. They pile on to any error or abuse of power - whether real or perceived - with hysterical, mouth-frothing fervor. And while that response is hardly as rational and measured as it should be, a report on the Robert Pickton investigation released today makes it hard to remain calm.
The report stated between the time Vancouver Police forwarded a report on Pickton to Coquitlam RCMP and the time he was arrested, 13 women went missing from the Downtown Eastside. 11 of those were later linked to Pickton's farm.
You may think this is yet another reason to tar the RCMP. That's partially true, but the review says both police forces are to blame. It says both forces committed errors that prevented an arrest of Pickton until 2002. There have long been loud questions as to why police didn't take the Pickton situation seriously much sooner. Now we have a few more answers to those questions.
RCMP have been taking it on the chin for quite some time now. And nothing seems to be able to stem the litany of embarrassments for the national force. Today's announcement shouldn't phase the Mounties; it should be like water off a duck's back. Vancouver Police looking bad, however, is another story.
If this should teach us anything, it's that there are problems with law enforcement in general - not just the RCMP. A public inquiry is necessary, followed by sweeping reforms. It's one thing for four cowboys to zap an exhausted Polish man at an airport with a taser. It's quite another for almost a dozen women to die thanks to an inter-office foul-up. Something has to change.
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Respectful comments are allowed here, in most respects. Either be respectful, or respect our right to remove your disrespect. I guess what I'm trying to say here is, respect is the key.