Justice system should be better

DEAR EDITOR:

Elvena Slump is right in her recent letter to the editor (Herald, Feb. 12), volunteer RCMP auxiliaries can, and would help our police with our high crime rate. But much more is clearly needed.

In 2004, I flew into the Guatemala City Airport. I couldn’t leave fast enough the next morning. Razor wire everywhere. Young, scarylooking military personnel with helmets, uniforms, and machine guns. Locals with frightened countenances.

On the way to Antigua City on a bus, we observed a body on a tarp outside a store, on the pavement, in a puddle of blood. Guards with shotguns on pop trucks, and outside stores and banks. Security guards with machine guns, also. I learned that vigilante justice was not unusual.

Today of course, it is worse. Much worse. Guatemalans are among those distraught refugees seeking refuge in the United States. We often refer disparagingly to countries like Guatemala as “banana republics.” I found the average Guatemalan citizens to be friendly, hard-working, congenial, good people.

Do we wish to become a banana republic? That’s where we are heading, if our justice system does not change radically, and soon. We now, already have razor wire in Penticton. Reading accounts of the crime in Penticton, and how the criminals are slapped on the wrist and set free by our judges and prosecutors is sickening.

The police are doing their job, to the best of their ability, with the resources available. Volunteer auxiliaries would be beneficial. But, when the convicted criminals are back on our streets within hours or days, the best policing in the world is largely in vain.

Letters to the editor and crime reports in our newspapers are a start, but until we, the people, somehow convince our politicians to effect change to our justice system and to improve our mentalhealth facilities, we will surely continue our inexorable path to becoming an even more crime ridden, society.

What say you, MLA Dan Ashton, MP Richard Cannings, Premier John Horgan, and B.C. Attorney General, David Eby? Do you care? Do you care enough to work to effect improvements to our justice system? Do you care about our children’s and grandchildren’s safety and welfare? Or do we merely stumble on, on a downward spiral, returning to Wild West lawlessness, or worse?

Where will we seek refuge, as lawlessness becomes like it has in Guatamalas or Hondura’s? And it will.

Meanwhile I urge all citizens of our province (and country) to stand up, be heard, and work to reverse the trend towards coddling the criminals.

Bryan Snider

Penticton