VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
CCTV CRUCIAL TOOL
Council’s consideration of CCTV cameras reflects well on the town of Wolfville.
A university professor observed during CBC’S May 12 Information Morning show that CCTV cameras will not solve Wolfville’s student violence problem. That view is true, but simplistic. No single response to community violence is a panacea. CCTV cameras are only one of many extremely valuable “tools in the basket.” Their key role is not real-time observation — it is their capacity for replay of critical incidents.
A few years ago, a Haligonian received life-threatening injuries after being struck by a truck while cycling on Longboat Key’s 10-mile strip off Sarasota, Fla. Observers reported seeing the truck, but not the licence plate. CCTV cameras placed on the two bridges that border the Key recorded the truck licence, resulting in the conviction of the driver.
Recent convictions of 12 inmates related to the 2019 gang assault at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility were enabled by playback recordings from among 300 CCTV cameras. These cameras are essential to security at CNSCF.
An added benefit of CCTV cameras is selective real-time coverage of specific “hotspots” at specific times identified by police. Downtown bars at 2 a.m. or lamppost placement of cameras in problematic residential areas come to mind.
CCTV cameras are not intended to address the subtle root causes of crime, the nuances of criminality or to rehabilitate offenders. Their sole purpose is to record criminal acts. Other criminological tools are then used to deal with offending behaviours.
Fred Honsberger, Halifax
LOW ACCOUNTABILITY
Halifax Regional Police’s creation of a tip hotline for any information about gun violence — two children are among the victims of numerous shootings in HRM — is a positive step. However, the measure should have been put in place last year.
There have been 75-plus shootings, and police appear to be at a loss in their efforts to arrest those responsible, especially for the shootings of the two children.
Why has it taken till now for a tip hotline to be announced? Why was there no announcement of a task force when the first child was shot?
I suggest that, under the tutelage of the present chief of police over the past three years, there has been no substantive trust developed in any of the communities where the shootings are most prevalent.
Also, it is a well-known fact the relationship between the union and the police chief has been sour for far too long. I have never seen such a lack of information coming from police in all my 36 years as a police officer with HRM; this is a red flag that police are reluctant to be accountable. The Board of Police Commissioners for HRM are also tardy in making Police Chief Dan Kinsella more accountable.
Police accountability in HRM is at an all-time low and it will continue to get worse if not addressed.
Jim Hoskins, retired HRP staff sergeant, Halifax
BLACK SWAN EVENT
I note that a lot of people are critical of the RCMP in the wake of the April 2020 shootings and of the Mass Casualty Commission — some even questioning whether the RCMP is the best local policing power.
Yet, given the circumstances, could any police force have done better? In common terms, these are called “black swan events.” That is, no one has seen or experienced such a thing before. I could conjure up many tragic events that might happen. But we can’t expect police to be trained to deal with every potential hypothetical crime that might happen.
How do you predict that a denturist with a love of police uniforms and cars and who knows his territory will turn out to be a mass murderer? You might say, in hindsight, that maybe he could have done this or that. Personally, I think the RCMP did the best they could to stop the killing.
Daniel Earle, Rockville
HOLD YOUR HORSES
Some people have suggested replacing the RCMP as the provincial police force. That seems to be a bit over the top. I do understand that people are frustrated with the RCMP in the wake of the April 2020 killings, but let’s not jump to conclusions.
The Mass Casualty Commission has not finished its work; there will no doubt be some recommendations on how we should proceed in the future.
The RCMP has done some very noble work in our province over the years; that should not be forgotten. The murders of 22 people was a tragedy, to say the least, but I think that, in the long run, the RCMP will be a much better force going forward.
We can’t dismiss the work that these officers do, day in and day out. The RCMP are not perfect; then again, neither are any of us.
Gregory Boudreau, Halifax
LEARN FROM MISTAKES
We question why children do not take responsibility for their actions, but allow RCMP officers to avoid doing so after the mass killings two years ago.
The RCMP failed to protect Nova Scotians and must admit it so that corrective actions can take place. As long as the RCMP deny responsibility, they cannot improve their response. Everyone makes mistakes and those who take ownership for these mistakes improve on outcomes.
Tony Morris, HRM
FUEL FOR THE FIRE?
It was shocking to spot your recent front-page story, “Police chief: Can’t explain away Wortman warnings,” as a flyer advertising semi-automatic rifles, Glock BB pistols and crossbows dropped into my lap: warning too, of tragedies perhaps to come.
Sharon Nicolle, Halifax
GEAR BAN WON’T WORK
Telling retiring police they can’t keep their uniforms or badges doesn’t solve any problems whatsoever when it comes to eradicating fake police officers.
Neither does scrapping every white police vehicle. I say “vehicle” because the RCMP don’t only drive Ford Tauruses; I’ve seen SUVS and half-ton trucks.
I can print decals on my colour laser printer and could convert a “white car” into a cop car in maybe a couple weeks. The overhead light bar would be the most difficult part to duplicate, but manageable. (Amazon has them listed on their website for $70.)
I have a 3D printer that could print a badge in about an hour; then it’s a matter of painting it. Or I could just buy one off the Internet for $12. I could also print a good replica of a gun on my 3D printer.
Police costumes are available from Amazon, but it would not be hard to get a pair of blue or black pants (I have overalls) and sew or stick yellow stripes on the side. Hats are common and very similar to military hats — very abundant in army surplus stores.
So it makes no sense to ban all these in the fear that someone will impersonate a police officer. What must be done is to impose heavy fines or jail time on anyone who does.
Bob Found, Indian Harbour
POOR SERVICE FROM RCMP
Re: “Was no one at fault in Onslow firehall shooting?” Thanks to Paul Schneidereit for taking the time to write this much-needed column published on May 11. His comments mirror the thoughts of many in Nova Scotia.
The poor response to the warnings
about the danger the mass killer posed remind me of the disregard Bible Hill RCMP gave to Susie Mcnutt’s concerns a few days before her neighbour shot her to death.
One wonders if the only poor detachment is at Bible Hill, or is it the same all over Nova Scotia? We read that the person heading the provincial RCMP was OK with the response to the events on those two days in April 2020. I believe she has since taken retirement.
I also wonder if the RCMP union commentator is a resident of Nova Scotia. If he is not, then it’s not for him to tell us what we expect from the RCMP.
Perhaps, since we are getting such poor service from the RCMP (at great cost), we should consider installing a provincial police force.
Don Wilson, Brule Point
INQUIRY LITE LUDICROUS
Paul Schneidereit’s May 11 column highlights one aspect of the bizzaro events at this fiasco of an inquiry.
How could this “inquiry” be titled “Mass Casualty…” anything? The proceedings make it feel like an accidental event that is being gently examined; rather, we should be conducting a “Mass Murder and Emergency Warning Failure” inquiry.
Instead, we have a trio of professional folks in the inquiry pulpits conducting a daily seminar-like chat forum with kid-gloves-handled “witnesses.”
A real inquiry actually has witnesses examined both in direct and in crossexamination, not chatting with each other and the audience!
As Schneidereit observes, how could the RCMP officers who mistakenly shot up a community fire hall in Onslow do so and claim that, in retrospect, they’d handle things all the same again — and not be harshly examined in this process?
This inquiry is a public disgrace! Then we learn that we are forking out $20 million-plus for this. Will we need to have another inquiry to figure out how this happened?
Ross Haynes, QC, Halifax