Francis Chartrand for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles

15/08/2008 06h06

Yesterday, in my column, I said that, contrary to what some people suggest that tripent on the concept of "community policing", the cops have other things to do than play ball with the young Montreal-North.

As stop bandits, for example. At the end of my column, inviting the police to give me their reactions. I have received many e-mails.

In the coming days, I'll introduce excerpts of these stories.

(Note that in order to encourage the police to say the substance of their thoughts, I use pseudonyms.)

MICHEL

"I am currently an employee of the Surete du Quebec. I must tell you that the rapprochement with citizens is good, except that we should not carry. Between you and me, I have other things to do than go give lectures in schools!

The police are caught between the tree and the bark. On the one hand, we must be tough to enforce. But when it is severe, citizens complain about our attitude!

No wonder that criminals to carry out wide. People who show authority are misunderstood in our society. What is needed is a change of mentality. When the population will be tired this soft attitude, the minister will lobby the National Police Academy to change how it trains officers.

But by then, nothing will change ..."

MICHEL

"I am a policeman for more than twenty years. I joined forces to enforce the laws without discrimination. But over the years, I am disillusioned. The police has become too political.

I was part of a group of riot intervention. I have worked for big events, I'm starting all kinds of objects, I was insulted, pushed, and so on. But they were ordered not to intervene, even if criminal acts were committed in front of us! The buss found it too difficult ...

I am now agent movement. When I stop young blacks and young Latinos, they tell me that I intercepts because they have dark skin! I tell them beautiful that I could not see their faces because I was behind their car, it does nothing, they treat me whenever a racist.

I'm sorry, but we have laws and all citizens must respect, whether black or white ...

Finally, concerning the death of a young Montreal-Nord, I find it disgusting to see politicians making capital from the funeral home even before knowing the results of the investigation. That's disgusting! "

MARC

"I worked on call in a police force for one year. But one day I learned that opened eight full-time positions. I have submitted my candidacy.

I was sure we were going to give me a job because my superiors kept telling me that I was doing an impeccable job. However, it has preferred to hire eight new police officers who had NO experience!

You know why? Because it was women and that it was good for the image of the police. My colleagues - and my counterparts, who knew me - do not believe their ears. So I decided to leave the police ..."

SERGE

"I am a policeman for more than 20 years. When I started, I had a big mouth, and I knew my rights and what I could and could not be done.

But today, I note that the new police have no initiative and they take no decision without consulting a superior, afraid to put their feet in the flat.

In my time, you were working with police experience but today, often, your partner has no experience and you need to refer to your superior, which has only four or five years' experience.

The training Nicolet is based on community policing and on YOU. But in the police, there is a time for VOUS and a time for TU. Some people do understand that the TU."

ROBERT

"I am policeman in a city of 70 000 people. Police pink candy you speak so well, I décrie past 15 years.

Every year, when I see the troops arrive at new police officers, I fell on the butt.

Where I work, we have a police 4 feet 11 inches to 95 pounds. And many others who are around 5 ft 2 feet, 5 feet 3 inches. We also have a male police officer of 115 pounds!

It made the point where it is embarrassing. By the way, wherever I go, people talk about me early on 4 feet 11 inches. People laugh it constantly.

Officially, we can not say that we do not feel safe with these small officers. But unofficially, we are not.

The result is often in the evening or night, we avoid some vehicles to stop suspects. We call upon other colleagues to cover us when we receive a call for mayhem, and so on."

CHARLES

"I am a policeman for 11 years and I have full arse to be the scapegoat for everything that happens.

Thanks to the leadership SPVM to be gone to the funeral home of the young man. What message you send to the people! And thank you for firefighters we have refused access to the roof of their building so that we can do our work during the riot!

I have a scoop for you: young people who were on the scene of the event attempted to disarm a police officer and that's why that one of them fired.

We are not killers! It just wants to help people to live in peace! "

You are a policeman and you want to tell me about your job? Write me rmartineau@journalmtl.com

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Labels: Richard Martineau

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 12:00 PM