Who does what in policing?/Pressures (split fm BC Murder thread)

[mariomike]

Maybe worth a thread split over to that one starting some time yesterday?

ok

 

[lenaitch]

Should we mandate then municipalities of a certain size form their own police force so RCMP resources can be diverted where they are needed?

Not related to the RCMP, but I believe Quebec has been much more prescriptive than the other provinces.  I'm not fully aware of the details but they mandated which municipality must maintain their own service and, by default, which must be policed by the SQ.  I also believe they laid out some kind of crime benchmark above which smaller departments shall not take the investigative lead.  This latter was a problem in Ontario in the days of many small municipal departments who convinced their councils that they were 'full service'. They would hang onto a major investigation until such time public pressure or internal realization forced them to call the OPP.  By that time, many investigations were past being recoverable.

 

[brihard]

Not related to the RCMP, but I believe Quebec has been much more prescriptive than the other provinces.  I'm not fully aware of the details but they mandated which municipality must maintain their own service and, by default, which must be policed by the SQ.  I also believe they laid out some kind of crime benchmark above which smaller departments shall not take the investigative lead.  This latter was a problem in Ontario in the days of many small municipal departments who convinced their councils that they were 'full service'. They would hang onto a major investigation until such time public pressure or internal realization forced them to call the OPP.  By that time, many investigations were past being recoverable.

I could easily see that. There's one advantage with the RCMP- pooling of resources for major crimes. In BC there's even an integrated approach to homicide for the lower mainland east of Vancouver; the RCMP and four of the municipal services put together the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. It just makes sense to regionalize this outside of major municipalities.

Major cases can be horrendously complex, and it takes a very methodical and disciplined approach right form the outset to make the case is not only solved, but survives the pressures of disclosure and trial. Smaller services can really struggle with this.

 

[Blackadder1916]

Not related to the RCMP, but I believe Quebec has been much more prescriptive than the other provinces.  . . .

The Six Levels of Police Service According to Population Size
https://www.securitepublique.gouv.qc.ca/en/police-prevention/police-service-levels.html

 

[lenaitch]

Major cases can be horrendously complex, and it takes a very methodical and disciplined approach right form the outset to make the case is not only solved, but survives the pressures of disclosure and trial. Smaller services can really struggle with this.

The last nine years of my career.  Too many politicians, as well as some police commanders who don't have a strong criminal background, still think a couple of investigators and a couple of weeks (perhaps one more to write the brief) and it's all wrapped up.  Too much TV- all done in 60 minutes less commercials.  My former employer took the position many years ago that senior member is really a Major Case Manager.  You can be the best detective since Clouseau, but if you can't run a diverse, large and focused team containing a lot of Type As, while at the same time fighting for resources and funding while things are still 'hot', you will be less than effective.  Multi-jurisdictional projects are a whole different level.

 

[dapaterson]

I've watched TV.  There are magic computers and equipment that identify anything, and it all gets wrapped up within an hour (less commercials).

 

[FJAG]

I've watched TV.  There are magic computers and equipment that identify anything, and it all gets wrapped up within an hour (less commercials).

And if if the computer can't do it, they write an algorithm in 5 minutes so that it does do the job. Gotta love those algorithms.

;D

 

[lenaitch]

The Six Levels of Police Service According to Population Size
https://www.securitepublique.gouv.qc.ca/en/police-prevention/police-service-levels.html

Thanks for that.  I've often wondered but never bothered to look.  Ontario has an Adequacy and Effectiveness Regulation outlining what a police service has to provide. Some must be provided by the service itself, some can provided through formal agreements with other services.  We do not have formal policy on what each can or cannot investigate.  There aren't that many really small municipal departments left, but that type of policy would be beneficial.  Some have really cocked it up in the past.

https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/990003/v1

 

[FJAG]

Thanks for that.  I've often wondered but never bothered to look.  Ontario has an Adequacy and Effectiveness Regulation outlining what a police service has to provide. Some must be provided by the service itself, some can provided through formal agreements with other services.  We do not have formal policy on what each can or cannot investigate.  There aren't that many really small municipal departments left, but that type of policy would be beneficial.  Some have really cocked it up in the past.

https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/990003/v1

That's the difference between civil law (which tells you how to suck eggs) and common law (which gives you left and right arcs - or at least used to)

;D