A need to be at the ready
Canada Day is a time to celebrate the amazing country in which we live and the freedoms that come with it. Virtually every community in the country hosts celebratory events year after year without incident. This is something that communities and the police can be proud of.
It is unfortunate that police forces across the country, including the Prince George RCMP, have to carry weapons at all. In a perfect world we wouldn’t need police, but it’s not a perfect world, a perfect Canada or even a perfect Prince George. Things happen. Bad things that cannot always be detected or predicted.
As part of our due diligence, the Prince George RCMP and our law enforcement partners are continually assessing potential threats and adjusting our security needs accordingly. Events of the past, such as the attacks on Parliament Hill and in Moncton, have changed policing in our country.
As a result, trained officers are equipped with the C8 carbine seen in Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park on Canada Day. These officers routinely carry the carbine during the course of their duties, including high visibility patrols at special events.
Do we wish it wasn’t required? Yes. Do we stand ready in case it is required? Yes.
The Prince George RCMP develop our safety and security plans based on finding a balance around public enjoyment and the ability for our officers to provide an immediate and effective response to most threats. We deployed one officer with the C8 into the park for a limited time during the official ceremonies. We had other resources in the park for most of the day, including red serge members interacting with the public.
While we want to believe that these tragic incidents will not happen in Prince George, we have no way to know that. If an incident did happen here where we needed to respond, I’m confident that the public would be grateful that our members had the tools to help them stop the threat.
Over the last few days, I have received many calls in support of our efforts and read many more supportive comments on social media. The Prince George RCMP would like to thank the public for their support in our efforts to keep this community and our officers safe. Cpl. Craig Douglass Prince George RCMP