By: Steve Corner

Steve Corner — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 00:52:36 +0000

Several items come to mind with this article. One being that Mayor Haynes standpoint is a conundrum. On one hand he indicates he is in favour of identifying the benefits of an amalgamation with Victoria, but on the other hand he is against the idea of a regional police force. Secondly, the article somewhat glosses over the potential drawbacks of a regional police force. Saanich being the largest municipality within the CRD has a vast array of experience and associated expertise. What is there to gain? The outcome may be that the residents of Saanich have less police service available to them and experience an increase in crime because of it. How would the cost of policing be divided amongst the various municipalities? There needs to be a cost benefit/detriment study to determine how this would effect the costs to the taxpayers and what is acceptable to residents. Sometimes it’s not all about the money.

By: Ken H Lane

Ken H Lane — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 18:35:04 +0000

As noted in a previous Grumpy Taxpayers commentary, the responsibilities of VicPD are “oozing” beyond the standard law enforcement model, and that trend can conceivably be expanded. Today, for example, civil forfeiture laws are being re-worked such that the one whose chattels are being seized must prove innocence . . . no longer innocent until proven guilty. Yesterday it was reported that individuals can no longer apply to have land removed from the Agriculture Land Reserve. Only a “public body” can do that. Then there are the changes pertaining to ICBC. Increasingly we are seeing the public sector take adversarial approaches to its citizens, and there would need to some boilerplate assurances that a regional police department could not become part of this trend.

Comments on: Why not study idea of regional police force?

By: Steve Corner

By: Ken H Lane