BCCLA Opposes Privatizing Police Services
by BCCLA
The BCCLA is extremely concerned that a new proposal
to amend citizen’s arrest rights in Canada opens the door to privatized
911 services. The provision would allow a property owner or someone they
appoint to arrest someone within a “reasonable” time following the
commission of an alleged offence.
“The solution to people being concerned that the
police are too busy to answer a 911 call about a minor property crime is
not to expand when people can take the law into their own hands. The
solution is to ensure that there are adequate professionally trained and
qualified police resources available. Allowing private security
companies to be made agents of property owners and roam around arresting
people is a bad move,” said Robert Holmes, President of the BCCLA.
“If
this is what was intended by those who drafted this bill, they should
give their heads a shake and go back to the drafting board.”
Private policing has been on the increase in Canada
with a rapid expansion of private security firms at malls and on urban
streets.
Security firms are not regulated or overseen in the manner that
police are. They lack the training, education, discipline and
professionalism that police officers are required to possess.
“The idea that you could call ‘Bob’s 911 Service’ and
have someone forcibly arrest and detain another person is an invitation
to vigilantism. We call for this bill to be amended to close that gap
immediately,” said Holmes.
The BCCLA is writing a letter to all of the federal political parties to express concern about the proposed law.
February 17, 2011
For immediate release
