Task Force on Crime Won’t Solve Root of the Matter
Tuesday, January 22, 2013 @ 3:45 AM
The Task Force on Crime initiated by Mayor Shari Green must first address a few questions. Of paramount importance is whether we are taking McLean’s rating us as the crime capital of Canada (using some sort of filtering system) as gospel, particularly given that every time the stats come out we suggest that they are in no way accurate. We need to overcome that hurdle first.
We also need to address what it is that puts Prince George statistics much higher in the mind of McLean’s than other communities in Canada.
All four efforts being put forward;
1 reduce crime and increase community safety
2 increase public involvement in reducing crime
3 increase integration between all stakeholders involved in crime reduction
4 improve public awareness around the reality and perception of crime.
All are very warm and fuzzy, a public declaration with no teeth.
Until we are prepared to look to where the problems originate and where we can begin to correct those problems, the declaration is window dressing.
Prince George is a catchment area for all of central and northern BC. We also have a large First Nations population which just happens to be the largest group as a percentage of people incarcerated in Canada.
People who live in small communities and who do drugs, commit crimes, or are coping with mental illness issues come to communities such as ours in order to live a life style that they could not in their smaller communities where it is much harder to go unnoticed.
That applies to all small communities throughout the region.
Have we ever approached the provincial and federal governments with a view to bringing in programs that will see people who are living on the edge in those small communities, receive the hope and help they need in their home communities.
Are we looking at what is needed to accommodate those people who suffer from mental illness or addictions, to ensure they receive the help they need in these small communities before they move onto the larger centers where they are victimized or pulled into a life of crime?
There is already a lesson to be learned in Prince George in this regard where the city brought in a Downtown enforcement unit. It worked very well in moving the “undesirables” out of the downtown area to the periphery such as 15th and Central. We didn’t get rid of the problem we just moved it around.
There also is the matter of the street workers; we got them out of downtown as well. They moved into a residential area and if it were not for the residents tolerating the practise we would be hearing lot’s about them. We didn’t get rid of street prostitution we just moved it to another district.
That is not unlike Surrey where a $1 dollar bus ticket will get the people you are trying to get rid of, moved to Vancouver’s east side which is incarceration without a wire fence. Trying to make a comparison of Surrey and Prince George is like comparing the weather in this city to that in Palm Springs.
If we continue to think inside the box, as we do in many respects in this city, we will be doomed to a repeat of what is taking place every day in our community.
Further, each and every time that the Judges are singled out for the blame of the problem of crime in our community, think about this. The judges” administer” the law they don’t write it. They simply enforce what parliament, the legislature and the city of Prince George hands them. They don’t make laws.
If the federal government wants to get tough on crime they will need to build more prisons, which they are not going to do, and they will have to tighten up the practise of Parole, and first and foremost they will have to introduce tougher measures for the breaking of the law.
We run around in this community oblivious to the problems that we face. Until we are prepared to look at the entire picture, it is simply more window dressing with a different name.
I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.
Comments
Ben, the problem starts in our homes….. lack of morals.
Bigger prisons and longer sentences? If that worked, the USA would be far more crime-free than it is, wouldn’t it?
As for morals, first you have to have buy-in to a set of moral standards where each individual stands to gain for their participation. For the severely disenfranchised, there’s no gain, therefore, no buy-in.
Face it, we live in a zero sum economy where there has to be losers in order for there to be winners. It’s an “us vs. them” existence where “us” don’t give a crap about “them” and “them” resent the successful and comfortable “us” who, as a result, becomes targets.
You want change? Change the system. Sheri Green’s approach to managing this city is guaranteed to reduce the middle class and create a greater bulge at the bottom, thereby feeding the fires of disentitlement and the criminal element this contributes to.
Krusty, aren’t you just making excuses for criminals to engage in criminal behaviour?
I won’t deny that there’s a growing segment of people who think that they’re entitled to some sort of standard of living without having to put any effort in. Personal responsibility has gone by the wayside.
Morals is a good point. I have some friends who have kids and they’re taught to scam the system any chance they get. If a cashier gives you too much change at the till, keep it… that sort of thing. This is where it all starts, imo.
JohnnyB – I agree with you on the morals; bugs the hell out of me when co-workers take advantage of any opportunity to shirk or scam the company. No lie, the company sticks it tou us when they get the chance, but I just can’t bring myself to lower my own standards just so I can stick it to them in return (lowest common denominator).
As for making excuses for criminals, not likely. I am, however, seeking ways to explain some criminal behavior. Lets face it: some criminals (the white collar type) commit crimes while being perfectly well bought-in to the system; their motivation is greed, plain and simple. Others who live on or close to the streets and feel that they do not benefit in the slightest from our society (whether in truth or just in their perception) commit crimes because they don’t think they have anything to lose – they just don’t give a flying fig about the impact of their behavior on others or the consequences to them should they get caught.
So, no, not excuses, just some kind of an explanation for a phenomenon. Personally, I’m big on taking responsibility and maintaining one’s integrity.
I agree with retyred, lack of morals, and drug addictions,that lead to crime and is so strong that it won,t be stopped, other than by locking them up or getting them of drugs,nothing else is going to make a difference. Talking about it is just waisting money and time.Some of the stuff is so addictive that once tried, it is almost impossible to get of of it, so one way is to supply it for free, so that there won,t be the need to get the cash some way or another to feed the habit.I am against drugs and don,t touch the stuff.I don,t think there is a product that has as many garanteed repeat costumers
I was always taught that respect is the highest form of motivation and that fear is only a coerced from of motivation.
Problem is that if respect isn’t part of the norm in your upbringing than its not something that can be easily learned.
When transient strangers that commit crimes come to town they leave respect for society back in their home towns if they had any to begin with. Once they cut that tie the fear of laws and courts does little to modify their behavior.
Ben is right on the issue… especially the notion of the $1 transit fare to East Van.
One idea that deserves more examination I think is public shame. If a guy from small town Northern BC comes to town and commits a crime in PG, than we publish his name and his crime in the classified section of ‘his local media’ where the perp grew up as well as lived prior. Maybe they don’t care if Joe PG public hears about their crime, but when their beloved grade school teacher, or aunt, or grandma reads about it in their home towns they will feel the shame respect enforces… maybe. Maybe those closest to a violent criminal in terms of respect need to be notified personally when crimes are committed here in PG no matter where those guardians live. How many of these people would still want to make PG the crime capital of Canada then?
PG on its own is not a city that engenders respect from stranger criminals.
In Davao Philippines they had the highest crime rate in all of Asia in the mid 80’s. More so than even Afghanistan. The Moro rebels (Muslim minority) wanted autonomy recognized, something that never actually happened until just last year. The Moro were ruthless terrorists that had all living in fear.
In the 80’s a strong man came to power in Davao the largest city on Mindanao. 32 million people live on Mindanao island and Davao is the cultural capital. The mayor of Davao brought back an ancient Roman procedure of publishing a prescription list… a harsh measure where if ones name was published on the list when it was put out on the Sunday, they had one week to leave town or disappear. Soon the Moro terrorists left the city to live in the hills and the prescription list became redundant… Davao now has one of the lowest crime rates in the Philippines.
Maybe we could have a more humane form of the prescription list for PG. Anyone that is a repeat offender in PG gets put on the list with their picture to forewarn the public of the danger… furthermore the list could be published for the local hometowns of the relevant strangers so they to could know who in their community are committing crimes elsewhere.
Prescription lists could then be posted all around town and the North for that matter… in the name of public safety. Only when one is off parole can their name be removed from the public prescription list.
Street Workers moved into a residential area, residents tolerating the practise. We do not want the Street Workers in our residential area and we are not tolerating them and the JOHNS ,we phone the Police steady and try to get plate numbers. The City keeps dumping more in our area, they seem to forget we have a School and a big seniors complex, where most of the action is, we also have a big Needle Van driving around delivering needles and condoms and who knows what,we do not want that in our area, we are told when we complain the Street Workers and the Drug Addicts need the service. How humane is that ?How safe is that for the residents in the area?Just ask the Senior with the base ball bat??
HELP US GET HELP, don’t sent us more problems.RCMP when was your last sting in our area??How about planing one for the spring.
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