Douglas Todd: Canadian police officers are much less likely to be killed or killed than US police officers

Activists overdo Canadian police, especially by suggesting Often criticized for the use of force. As in the United States, police shootings are out of control. However, according to new statistics, Canadian police are very different from US police.

B.C. investigation criminologists show that US police shoot about 1,000 people each year and Canadian police shoot less than 30 people each year.

Adjusted for population size. That is, US police officers are five times more likely to shoot perpetrators than Canadian police officers.

Similarly, US police officers can be killed more than three times more than Canadian law enforcement officers.

The main reason for the relatively safe surroundings of Canadian police officers is that American culture is far more violent, according to a study by Rick Parent, a former RCMP officer and associate professor at Simon Fraser University. about it. -Researcher Catherine parents.

And, importantly, Canadian police officers are generally more trained, better funded and more regulated, her parents say.

After Canadian police killed the perpetrators, activists often draw rough similarities between Canadian and American police, butRick Parentwas maintained in the interview, but there is a big difference between the degree of gun violence between the police and the community in both countries.

"Canada police make mistakes. There was a suspicious incident in Canada," the parents admitted. "It's not a perfect environment in Canada, but it's relatively safe."

According to a chapter written by parents (husband and wife) for a new book, US police are primarily guns. It opposes murder rates, including, which is three times worse per capita than Canada. Understand and prevent community violence.

Unlike the United States, Canada also has a chapter titled "Right to Keep and Bear Arms" in the Constitution,Community Violence and Deadly Police Use. It is explained in. The power of the bordering nations.

Also, in contrast to the long-standing U.S. police tradition, Canadian police officers are not encouraged to carry weapons "always", including during off-hours and at home. , Most of the time it is not allowed.

Parents and an officer before a rampaging man armed with four weapons in 2020 was shot himself in ahigh-profile investigationunderway in Nova Scotia. I mentioned how to kill the other 21 people. Such an incident is happening in Canada.

The incident also reveals that police need to use violent forces to thwart attackers.

"Pepper sprays often don't work," he said. Nova Scotia massacre. Heidi Stevenson was killed in a gunshot exchange while another officer was injured. This is "a good example of how officers endanger their lives."

In the chapters of the parents' book, the stress of both US and Canadian officers Explains fear. The experience of being forced to make a momentary decision after facing an armed perpetrator — often literally in the dark.

However, parents claim that Canadian officers generally have the advantage of being more consistently trained, paid higher, and scrutinized than US officers.

Parents say that there are more than 18,000 different police agencies in 50 states in the United States, with subdivided standards and protocols. It all offers similar training compared to just 200 police agencies in Canada.

The second major theme in the Parents chapter is one of Canada's 69,000 police officers, rather than being among the approximately 700,000 law enforcement officers in the United States. It means that it is much safer.

About 50 American police officers are killed each year, but parents found that about one Canadian police officer was shot dead each year in Canada.

Parents said more Canadian police officers were killed on duty in accidents, especially car crashes. Canadian officers have fewer deaths than employees in several other occupations, he said.

B.C., only four policemen have been killed in the last 40 years. The latest was theConst. John Davidsonwas shot down in a provocative attack in Abbotsford in 2017.

"In contrast, in the first few months of this year alone, three police officers were shot dead in nearby Washington," the parents said.

Many political and social factors help explain the superior safety records of Canadian police officers compared to American police officers, but parents legitimately "most of their credit for it. Goes to the Canadian people. "

Canadians may have many flaws, but at least on average, they are less violent than Americans.

dtodd@postmedia.com

@douglastodd

1. Police are worried about the assault of strangers. What's happening in Vancouver?

2. Douglas Todd: Underground banks affect us all

More news, less ads:Thanks to the support of our subscribers, our detailed journalism is possible. .. For just $ 3.50 a week, you'll have unlimited ad light access to Vancouver Sun, Province, National Post, and 13 other Canadian news sites. Subscribe today to support us:Vancouver Sun | State