DON'T BE TOO QUICK TO PASS JUDGMENT ON POLICE BEHAVIOUR

It is an unfortunate irony that the public and media are quick to
"kangaroo court" members of the Calgary Police Service.

As the saying goes, "a little knowledge can be dangerous."

When it comes to understanding the daily operations of the police; let
alone any other aspect of our criminal justice system, research has
repeatedly shown that the public is very naive about such matters.

For example, how many of (Sir Robert) Peel's principles (which deal
with police impartiality and their relations with the public) can you
identify?

What are the key priorities of any law enforcement agency in
Canada?

What is the difference between an indictable offence versus a summary
offence?

What are the most common complaints filed against the police? Can you
name the top three desirable personal qualities sought when recruiting
and selecting new police officers?

These are basic questions, but they serve to support the assertion
that unless we are properly informed, we should not be so quick to
judge those who serve to protect our city.

We live in a country whose model of policing is admired and respected
worldwide. The level of professionalism, accountability and quality of
management is the envy of many countries. What other country can boast
having its national police force as a national symbol of pride?

This is not to say our police forces are not human and subject to
indiscretions that tend to draw considerable attention and scrutiny,
but we need to realize that the best way to serve is to be respected.

A 2005 survey of Calgarians revealed that 92 per cent of those
surveyed were "satisfied" to "very satisfied" with our police.

If one were to look at our city's crime statistics, they would show
for most categories the crime numbers have tended to stay the same and
in some cases, even dropped.

This in a city whose population is growing at a dizzying rate . . .
not bad for a police force that per capita is below the national
average at 159/100,000 vs. a city like Thunder Bay at 201/100,000, or
even Toronto at 173/100,000.

Even internationally, the per capita for police officers, for Canada
in general, is 16 per cent lower than the United States, 14 per cent
lower than Australia, and 27 per cent lower than England and Wales.

Yet, our crime rate and complaints filed against police officers
remains among the lowest in the world.

So, before we continue to flood the media with lead stories, let's try
to understand better what our officers must deal with and understand
the context in which they work.

Most of us have never seen, let alone dealt with, the shadier side of
humanity. We need to know and trust that our "men and women in blue"
are held to the highest standards of professional and ethical
accountability.

A tall order with the amount of responsibility they are charged
with.

It is not always easy to assess when "to use physical force only when
the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be
insufficient" (Peel's sixth principle) but I'm comforted in knowing
that our finest are held to the highest of standards.

John Winterdyk is chair of the Department of Justice Studies at Mount
Royal College.