Fatal flaw in police encounters

Re: Gun use by Transit police again in question, Dec. 30

Whistling Bernie Smith used to walk the beat in the Downtown Eastside swinging his baton, and smiling.

He diffused innumerable incidents with reckless Downtown Eastsiders which may have become elevated to violent confrontations. He lived a long and peaceful life.

The British police force does not carry guns. Only special squads do and they killed three people last year.

We have too heavily armed, trigger-happy cops killing mentally ill people wielding pencils or two-by-fours as “weapons.”

How many have Vancouver cops killed in 2014? And now transit cops are killing mentally ill people? My guess is that Bernie would be ashamed of this performance.

Here’s a revolutionary thought: disarm the police. Follow the British model and bring in the special squad if necessary.

At least, we wouldn’t be sanctioning what is tantamount to murder-by-badge. Maybe call this new approach: the Bernie Smith Initiative? R. HARRY LANGEN Vancouver

Killing by police has become a frequent occurrence. I was shocked to hear Transit police killed someone not even in the transit area. In the killing of Peter DeGroot in Slocan there was no need for police to respond with a military-style squad.

The YVR situation with the Polish immigrant still makes me sick to my stomach. How about the artist crawling on his hands and knees unarmed, and yet the police still had to execute him.

I worked as a psychiatric nurse for many years. We never felt a need to kill any of our patients.

I will never be convinced that the ever increasing slaughter is necessary. V. PARKES Abbotsford