YOUTH DON'T NECESSARILY RESPECT POLICE, PROFESSOR SAYS

For generations, Canadians have afforded huge legitimacy to the
police uniform, said Ross Hastings, a criminology professor at the
University of Ottawa.

But many younger people don't automatically assume the police are
working for them -- especially when drugs and alcohol combine with
group identity and bravado in multiethnic communities.

"That makes police work much more difficult, much more dangerous,"
Mr. Hastings said.

"I could easily see where in the security of a large group, walking
into a situation like that is basically asking for trouble. I'm not
for a second trying to justify what these young people did, but given
the dynamics of groups, it's not entirely surprising."