Teach immigrants about our culture

Re: Police need training to deal with refugees, Aug. 19

It would be hard to argue with the ideas put forth by Darryl Davies, that police forces across the country need training to understand the unique set of circumstances refugees carry with them when they come to this country.

Police and the use of force have come under scrutiny as never before, and rightfully so, as all citizens and even those newly arrived here must feel safe, and not feel threatened by the police.

Davies points out that many refugees, particularly those from war-torn countries, don’t understand the role of police in our society, and police need sensitivity training to try to understand the levels of mistrust that these refugees bring with them.

I believe police forces are aware of this, and efforts are being made in the regard. But there is always room for improvement.

However, there should be parallel education going on here, and it’s not clear just how much is happening: What efforts are being made to ensure refugees can speak English and that they have a good understanding of the culture that they have come to?

Maintaining your culture, while respecting and understanding the culture you have come to, are not at odds with each other.

By all means, train the police, but Canadian values, laws and expectations are something we should be proud of, and those new to this country need to be shown the pride that we have in our country, by our willingness to spend whatever it takes to help them become a part of who we are. Jeff Spooner, Kinburn