Safety watchdogs needed

Self-oversight is not enough, and public investment is well worth the cost

Re: Regulatory body guards public safety, Letters, Dec. 30

Ann English brings forward an important point, and that is that there are established bodies (like the Associations of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists, Professional Biologists and the Professional Foresters) that hold professionals accountable for meeting certain standards to ensure public safety.

But she is missing the point.

Public safety does not just hinge on whether there is oversight of professionals. It also hinges on whether there are enough qualified individuals to do the work. And in the current political climates of deregulation and fiscal restraint, there are progressively fewer and fewer bodies that can be held to account. And those few poor souls who are left are forced to take up the slack and face ever stiffer challenges.

If we, the public, are to truly feel safe, we need to be convinced that our governments have our best interests at heart and not just the economic interests of multibillion-dollar corporations.

Bring back the watchdogs. Release the hounds. Let the foxes know that the hen house is not left un-guarded. JOHN WERRING Surrey