Police respond to shootouts
One shootout, and the head of the police brotherhood wants investigators returned to specialization on gangs and firearms, a recent reform having removed much of the manpower in that area, and the police chief is promising more neighbourhood patrols.
Blork 13:37 on 2020-09-16 Permalink
I think the “one shootout” is just the most visible thing; I’m sure this has been building for a while, with more gun incidents in the past six months than what you’d normally see in a few years (I think; not entirely sure) plus an eye on Toronto which has seen a huge increase in gun crimes in the past couple of years. So maybe that shootout is a turning point, but it’s not all just because of that.
…particularly since that one shootout was almost entirely the police doing the shooting. The perp had a six-shot revolver. Unlikely he reloaded. In the meantime, one of the cops emptied a 16-shot clip from his pistol, and at least one other cop was shooting too. What’s not clear is if the three bystanders that were hit were shot by the perp or by “friendly fire.”
Ephraim 18:16 on 2020-09-16 Permalink
The question is… how many gangs and firearms are there, that they need a squad for it. Most Canadian cities don’t even have enough murders to have dedicated detectives for that anymore.
Isn’t it odd that the police keep on reporting less and less crime and yet constantly need more and more police and army like vehicles? Or is it just me that questions it?
Kate 18:56 on 2020-09-16 Permalink
It’s not just you, Ephraim. There was a whole segment on CBC radio at noon today about defunding the police here. We do have gangs and firearms to an extent and it’s probably necessary to have some cops prepared to confront the situation, but you don’t want stupid strongmen for that job, you want smart detectives.