Posted on 06/23/2009 10:05:35 AM PDT by Don W
Editorial: RCMP suffers another blow Times Colonist Published: Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Staggering incompetence or coverup? Those are the only two explanations for the fact that a critical RCMP e-mail was kept from the inquiry into Robert Dziekanski's death until last week, on the day final arguments were to begin.
The failure to disclose the critical evidence has undermined the work of the Braidwood inquiry, forced a long delay in the completion of its report and -- once again -- tarnished the RCMP's already shredded reputation.
The e-mail cuts directly to the heart of the issues before the inquiry. RCMP Chief Supt. Dick Bent sent the message to RCMP Assistant Commissioner Al Macintyre on Nov. 5, 2007, three weeks after Dziekanski's death. Bent reports that Supt. Wayne Rideout, in charge of the investigation, had told him the four officers "had discussed the response en route and decided that if he did not comply that they would go to CEW (conducted energy weapon, or Taser)."
That contradicts all the evidence heard at the inquiry. The officers insisted they had decided to use the Taser after assessing the situation and attempting to calm Dziekanski. They said they only tasered him because they feared for their safety.
Federal lawyers and RCMP Commissioner William Elliott say the late disclosure was an oversight. The RCMP sent a CD containing 260 relevant documents to federal lawyers in April. They didn't open it until last week. Rideout's lawyer says he denies telling Bent the officers had decided to use the Taser before they approached Dziekanski.
But too many questions remain unanswered. Why did the RCMP only disclose the evidence to its lawyers in April, almost a year after the inquiry began its work? How could any competent, diligent lawyers fail to look at evidence that could be relevant, or even assist in clearing the RCMP?
Inquiry commissioner Thomas Braidwood called the late disclosure "appalling." The inquiry was to hear final arguments this week before he wrote his report. Now it might be necessary to hold further hearings in September, he said, the earliest all the participants could be available. The four officers involved in the death and others might be required to provide additional evidence.
The inquiry has been devastating to the RCMP's reputation. The evidence provided by the four officers -- and official statements in the days after the death -- were not credible, the claims flatly contradicted by video evidence that the RCMP initially attempted to suppress. The internal investigation was flawed and self-serving.
Now the force and its lawyers admit failing to provide critical evidence until the last possible moment.
This is a disservice, even an insult, to the inquiry and the public -- and to the thousands of RCMP officers doing their difficult work every day to the best of their ability.
And it raises fundamental concerns about our justice system. When RCMP officers make arrests and testify at criminal trials they are generally presumed to be competent, honest and reliable. Their evidence is considered competent and honest.
Many Canadians must now question whether those assumptions can still be made -- and how to deal with a police force that has fallen into disrepute.
© The Victoria Times Colonist 2009
ping
Well there's your problem right there. There's a reason the word "testilying" was coined.
No need for the [sic] in the title. The grammar is correct.
D'accord. The grammar is correct according to North American usage.
But, in fairness to DonW:
"RCMP" is a collective noun (similar to "company" or "family" or "congregation" or "electorate"). In North America a collective noun is treated as singular. In Great Britain it is treated as plural.
DonW is flying the Canadian flag in his profile page but that says nothing as to his origin or as to how he was taught as he was growing up.
Many years ago, Canadian pupils in some parts of Canada were taught strict British grammar. Use of the singular for collective nouns still grates on my ears even after lo these many decades since I left school. This even though I now use the singular when corresponding with North Americans.
That’s actually very interesting. I didn’t know that.
Thank you, Clive. Just FYI, it was Catholic and then public schools in Edmonton. A LONG time ago...
I decided long ago to just ignore disagreements over grammar and spelling. It’s not worth the grief, especially when both parties ARE correct.
At least the Brits have a snappy comeback. When one of our friends gets into a huff over word usage, the Brit can say, “What do we know? We only invented the language.”
Canada made some serious mistakes in respect to the RCMP.
In 1920 it merged the RNWMP with the Dominion Police.
It then engaged in a series of contracts with every Province except Ontario and Quebec whereby the RCMP carried out the Provincial responsibility to provide police services. The RCMP also provides police services to many municipalities, also clearly a Provincial responsibiliy.
BTW I have not forgotten Newfoundland. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary confines itself to four cities and all of Newfoundland and Labrador outside of those cities are policed by the RCMP.
Thus a small elite paramilitary police force, originally raised to provide a police and paramilitary presence in the then sparsely inhabited western territories became a huge bureaucracy unable to maintain its elite character and its former policy of it being very hard to become a Mountie and very easy to get cashiered. Add to the mix that the Horsemen are also responsible for narcotics enforcement even in Ontario and Quebec.
My preference would be that the RCMP end all contracts as they expire in 2012 and confine itself to the territories and truly national policing issues, providing expertise to the Provincial Police Forces, and to maintaining national and international databases such as CPIC. Give every Mountie presently patrolling the Provinces the right to transfer to a Provincial Police Force with full seniority and then re-establish the remaining cadre as an elite force with limited objectives. Make it again tough to enlist and easy to get fired.
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