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RCMP Accountability

edit Little Tobacco 2006-10-31 17:26 UTC add comment  ·  ·

The RCMP are so accountable that they can't stand for anyone to look:

The head of criminal operations for the RCMP in British Columbia has issued a blistering attack on the news media, defence lawyers and even the justice system itself, in an internal memo to all RCMP employees in the province.

Assistant Commissioner Gary Bass says the RCMP is the victim of unethical and inaccurate news reports, "baseless personal attacks" by defence lawyers and a justice system that puts witness officers, instead of defendants, on trial.

...

There are more than 6,000 RCMP employees in B.C. Earlier this year, the head of the civilian agency that oversees the RCMP said that the agency, the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, cannot provide adequate oversight on its annual budget of $5.1-million.

Increased police powers must be balanced by more effective civilian oversight, the agency said in its annual report, released in August.

The assistant commissioner's memo flatly rejects any suggestion the RCMP is unaccountable. "There is no one more accountable in the province of B.C. or in Canada than a police officer," he writes. "We choose our profession proudly and we live in a fish bowl every day."

I did not notice any criminal trial of any RCMP officers when they set up a sercret and illegal bank account to hide stolen sponsorship money. Where is the criminal trial of whoever planted the forged document in the BDC / Chretien case? The RCMP pre-emptively arrested protesters at the APEC conference and who was even disciplined? The police are ever attempting to expand their powers and limit their accountability. Then there is posing and threatening and screams about committment. If the cops are honest, then they should not fear scrutiny. Isn't that what they tell us when they want to expand their powers. The RCMP are upset because they cannot stand the scrutiny.

UPDATE: RCMP held back info:

October 31, 2006
RCMP kept CSIS in dark on Arar: former chief

OTTAWA (CP) - The former head of Canada's spy agency says the RCMP never told him it had passed erroneous information to the United States that wrongly labelled Maher Arar an Islamic extremist with terrorist ties.

Ward Elcock says the first time he heard about the foul-up was when RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli testified about it at a parliamentary committee in September.

Elcock headed the Canadian Security Intelligence Service in 2002 when Arar, a Canadian citizen, was detained by U.S. authorities and deported to Syria, where he was tortured into false confessions of terrorist activity.

A public inquiry has concluded that the United States "very likely" took the action based on the erroneous information given to it by the RCMP.

Zaccardelli has said he learned of the mistake shortly after the deportation four years ago. He has offered no explanation of why he didn't go public to correct the record at that time.

CSIS has also faced criticism for its actions in the affair - including a botched intelligence analysis that wrongly concluded Arar had probably not been tortured in Syria.

Comment #1 — ellie rand

2006-11-24 03:20:39

I have been trying to get Harey Ceninko to reopen an RCMP investagation that was brought forth by my husband and I almost a year ago. There is undisbuted evididence that the RCMP officers made false statements in writing during an investagation to cover thier buts from a law suit.   The RCMP completed thier investagation with out so much as a visit to us to discuss the complaint. These RCMP officers are protecting a resort and allowing them a free pass to break the law, why because they are a part of breaking the law. We hit a brick wall,  they are not accountable, they say now that it has gone to appeal and they say their decession in finaly. This is a sad world when justice cannot be given in fear of a law suit. So much proof but they don't want to see it and side step and did not answer any of the listed alegations against this division.

What ya do this is our world we live in.

Thank for letting me vent.

Ellie

Comment #2 — Alan Blanes

2007-05-22 19:32:45

I agree with Ellie that law enforcement in Canada has a major problem relating to the task of maintaining fidelity to the goal of protecting the security of Canadians. The paramilitary ethos of assuming that anyone who questions is ipso facto a trouble maker is not consistent with the objectives of equally protecting Canadian citizens INCLUDING their fundamental freedoms and Charter protections.

 For clarification on how incoherent law enforcement authorities are on this point, I cite Law Enforcement Review Board Judgement 038-99 from Alberta January 2000. This judgement ruled that it was "trivial" for police officers to invade an Annual General Meeting on December 13, 1997 and tell everyone present that if they supported a certain board member that they would be "arrested for assault by trespass". The police during that incident were completely unwilling to look at evidence that the executive committee of that Provincially Incorporated Society was forcing the membership to rubber stamp doctored minutes that did not include a vote from the previous AGM to hold a membership controlled review/audit of the society. To this date, the Edmonton City Police have been mute on the fact that they police were used to enforce blatant fraud on the disabled community of Alberta and all the tyrannical consequences that this has wrought. They have been given opportunities to assist voluntarily  to deal with this but they have chosen to decline.  Please refer to the Monarch Place sale in the archive of the Red Deer Advocate to look at how disempowered the disabled community of Alberta has become due largely  to anti-democratic actions of the police.

This track record indicates that the relationship between the population and the police has been harmed by a very disrespectful world view - where policing has lost its conflict resolution basis founded in the Peel Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 establishing a humane police force in London England.

There is one possible venue where the communities in Canada may be able to begin to repair this lawless trend. Thge local committees for the  creation of a Department of  Peace would  be a  very valuable  Federal Department that  would be able  to  set the basis  for  a holistic  protection of democratic  values. I would like to see a national effort put forward that would accomplish this vital process.

Alan Blanes

Ph 250-860-7719

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