jamesmc

hi
this is just my thoughts on things.
i deliver regularly to bc ,vancouver etc and never have really felt threatened when walking to get food at night,whereas in manchester we ran in pairs to get to areas to reload,stop at lights at night and people were at your back doors.same as glasgow eg possilpark.. security opened the gates so you didnt have to stop .
what they had in common was high unemployment,drug /drink use.ferral kids.
i worry that if high unemployment h its canada certain areas might go like parts of uk.
james

dboy

Yep, we have guns here. But when you have bears, wolves and cougars, you need them. We've had bears coming down into north burnaby close to Hastings Street!! and I was at a call one time where we had a cougar trapped in someone's kitchen! And were talking a heavily populated area not a rural area.

We've had to shoot them before because it can take so long for conservation officers to show up.

http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/n...ee029a&k=41055

I don't think legally owned guns are the issue, although i imagine there are a number of accidental deaths per year, it's guns in the hands of criminals that are the problem. This is why the national gun registry is of little use. I've pointed this out before on a previous post, every single handgun related investigation i've been involved in the past 9 years - the firearms were illegally in Canada from the US. Likely due to the fact that we have a good system at flagging persons investigated for violent acts (even threats), other criminal acts and mental health issues. These people would be flagged FIP (firearms interest police) and would not be able to legally own a gun -period.

http://thetyee.ca/News/2006/05/04/GunningSmugglers/

jandro

I've looked at crime statistics between UK and Canada and I think the murder rate and violent crime is higher in Canada but the UK has a higher incidence of theft. This might be a simplification though. I read somewhere the suicide rate in BC is twice as high as the UK and that's a hard stat to find apparently.

As someone who has used public transportation extensively in London and Vancouver I can say I do NOT feel safer on the sky train and buses here than I did riding the tube and buses in London. In fact I heard of a robbery on a bus today.

A co-worker was showing me a gun catalogue as he was going to purchase a gun as soon as he got his license. I discouraged him from the more nastier looking pieces. He likes to head to the woods on the weekend with his buddies and blast things .

JamesM

I must admit dboy policing in Vancouver, with all those wildlife challenges, definately sounds like a much broader experience than what I watch on "The Bill"!!!

dboy

Robberies are a twice as high in the uk than Canada and simple assaults appear to the same:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cr...ies-per-capita

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cr...lts-per-capita

Countries with easier access to firearms have a higher incident of suicide since it more effective than for instance taking an overdose. This is why the suicidie rate appears higher in law enforcement - cops don't attempt suicide anymore than the general population, however, access to firearms makes it more effective.

Juliew

As a Vancouver native I would say that the recent gun shootings are unacceptable. They scare me even if they are 99% targeted hits.

I still however feel safer in Vancouver than London, primarily because London has a lot of random crime. I know so many people personally that have been mugged in London (more than haven't been) and I don't know that many people in London (about 10). I can't say the same about Vancouver. Having said that if Vancouver does not sort out it drug problems it is not going to be a very nice place to raise a child!

I think the problem in the UK is the two-tiered education system, that pretty much denies a segment of society access to a decent education.
I have taught in inner school in the UK and Vancouver and the difference is shocking.


Just my thoughts.

seaham gal

I agree. I always feel safer in Vancouver - that is until the Bacon brothers, their mother and another "friend' moved into Port Moody and Coquitlam! The police have issued a warning to businesses not to associate with or serve them and my daughter had to serve them last week in the coffee shop where she works.

What really is disturbing is that the 'hits' take place in gas station car parks and grocery store car parks DURING THE DAY!

Last year a stray bullet went through the walls of a townhouse in Port Moody hitting a woman in the head. She is permanently brain damaged. We drive the kids to school on the same road. I know, I know, you can't let this bunch of gangsters rule your life, but now there have been so many it's really got me worried.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...Story/National

ann m

Just to add another report to the Scotland debate, here is an article from todays Telegraph highlighting that Scotland now has the fast-rising murder rate in Western Europe

dbd33

Yes, I agree with that. It's only because there are so many guns here that the murder rate here is higher than in the UK.

dbd33

I'm afraid I can't follow most of that post. To cut to the chase, do you accept that the rate of domestic gun ownership in Canada is very high, enormously high compared with European countries? If you do accept that point do you agree that a rate of murder by shooting inevitably follows?

I accept, btw, that there is a Bill of Rights in Canada but note the following from Wikipedia:

"The Canadian Bill of Rights remains in effect, but its widely acknowledged ineffectiveness was the main reason that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was adopted in 1982."

Oh.

dboy

Too bad, i was based in Rosyth when I was in the Navy and have always had fond memories of Scotland, especially Edinburgh. I also spent 3 months in Glasgow at Yarrow ship builders. I never thought it was any worse than Manchester, although I have n't been there since 1987.

dbd33

dboy, in Toronto the cops typically live thirty miles from the place they police, they're not part of the community, and they're perceived (accurately) as being a threat whenever they visit. Is this the case in Vancouver or are the police and the public there more closely aligned? Is it considered to be a good thing to live where you police?

dingbat

RCMP tend to live where they police around here. My street alone has four local RCMP members in it, two local social workers, two firefighters and a notorious gangster, who usually lives in Abbotsford with his even more notorious, and likely soon to be dead brothers. As soon as the RCMP have done their tour of duty, they usually leave though. Quickly.

dboy

I live in downtown Vancouver and work in Burnaby which is about 25 km away. There are a few of the guys who live and work in Burnaby but the problem is the cost of housing. Both Vancouver and Burnaby are very expensive, especially for junior members out of training. Most guys live in and around Langley and Pitt Meadows which has been dubbed cop land. I imagine its the same with the Vancouver Police. I personally have no problem living in Burnaby but prefer Vancouver. Having said that the nature of my job (major crime) sees me spending a lot of time in Vancouver on investigations and court is also in Vancouver.

We were talking about this not too long ago at work and see it as being counter to the notion of community policing - taking more ownership of where you both live and police. Small town policing can be difficult- policing and living in the same town because everyone knows what you do. I had a shock a few months ago when a Korean guy I was looking for with respect to a kidnapping investigation was serving me in a restaurant in North Van!! I made a quick phone call and he was arrested. And no, i did n't leave a tip.

Places like Surrey, Langley, etc probably have more guys living and working in the area they police because housing is more affordable. Also with the RCMP you may live and police in the same town but may take a transfer/promotion to a neighboring city but decide to not move, as is the case with my boss.

My neighbors know I'm a cop and I think overall that there is good relationship with the police and the public.

Cape Blue

More importantly, did you manage to charge the meal as a work expense