Editor:
To date, I have refrained from commenting on the Surrey police transition dialogue.
However, recent reader comments in PAN regarding members of the RCMP being compared to the “Mafia” lead me to the conclusion it is time for facts to fill the void left by the mayor and council.
It should be stated at the outset that all are entitled to their opinion as to which police option they prefer, but each are not entitled to their own set of facts and the dialogue is not helped by opinion promoting conspiracy theories, overstated references to discrimination or maligning individuals.
To the objective of fact-finding, I would challenge Mayor McCallum or, more accurately, Justice Oppal to hold a series of town hall meetings in each of the policing districts to present the facts to those interested.
This would be consistent with Oppal’s report on B.C. policing (Closing The Gap - 1994) by involving the community in future police planning.
In addition, it is expected that Justice Oppal will follow his own recommendations from his report in setting up a police committee, drawing from local community resources, to review community policing plans, objectives and goals.
I look forward to attending all the meetings and to introducing some facts from the perspective of the chief municipal contract negotiator for the RCMP in B.C. for nearly a decade.
Without vision and transparency, the people may be led astray and may pay a high price in both dollars and crime.
Eric Ross, Surrey