A bit of history on politics and the Surrey RCMP

Posted on by Laila

If there is anything that bothers me immensely, it is any kind of political interference or influence in any form of policing.

A wise man once told me : ” Tell the truth, tell it all, and tell it quick.”

I’d like to think that applies to politicians and policing as well, sensitive investigations and strategic information aside.

I noticed earlier today on twitter that mayoral candidate Doug McCallum was trying to make political hay out of others tweets and comments on transparency at city hall with regard to policing and police committee minutes.

And so it’s only correct to ensure a balance of information is available to let readers and Surrey residents know a bit of history on how politics and policing has meshed in the city, this time under the former mayor, whose  actions while mayor of Surrey lead to the story below, from 2002.

While there are very few online links available to explore this subject other than one story I have already mentioned in a prior blog post, there is quite a bit of material archived in libraries and search databases easily accessibly to anyone with a membership.

So, for the record: DougMcCallumRCMP in PDF format

Surrey Mounties vow they won’t be gagged by mayor

 

Author: Spencer, Kent

 

Abstract (Abstract): Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum has pressured police into withholding bad news about crime in the city, says a senior RCMP source.

Full text:

Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum has pressured police into withholding bad news about crime in the city,says a senior RCMP source.

“McCallum doesn’t like any kind of negative story about crime, period,” the senior Surrey RCMP officer said yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“But if the public needs to know about something, we’re putting it out.”Yesterday, McCallum flatly denied trying to censor the RCMP about releasing crime information about his community.

“It’s up to their discretion when they want to send their press releases,” said McCallum. He also denied that an e-mail his assistant sent to RCMP last year was an attempt to control the flow of negative information.

In an earlier radio interview yesterday, McCallum said he could not even recall sending the e-mail.But later he told The Province: “It’s just a question I was asking. Mayors have the right to ask questions about the RCMP.”

The March 2001 e-mail from McCallum’s assistant, Donna Jones, to RCMP Supt. Al MacIntyre said “Doug is wondering” why the RCMP had issued a news release on a “shots fired” incident, since the release itself said police were “not asking for the public’s assistance.”

MacIntyre replied to Jones: “When this call came . . . the media heard about it on their scanners . . . . Given the interest by the media in the incident and to avoid repeatedly giving reports to media outlets . . . a press release was properly made public.”

The RCMP’s own figures show that Surrey is the auto-theft capital of North America on a per-capita basis. But McCallum told council recently it was important to be “careful how you interpret the stats.”

RCMP sources also say McCallum was not pleased that they used the term “House of Horrors” to describe a notorious crack-shack in Whalley.

Police allege the house on 108th Avenue, which has since been demolished, was the scene of drug-taking,extortion, torture and at least two murders.

Surrey North MP Chuck Cadman said the public has a right to know when shots are fired.

“People have to be aware of what’s going on around them so they can address it,” said Cadman, whose his 16-year-old son Jesse was murdered in 1992 in Surrey.Cadman, who is on the RCMP’s list to receive press releases, noted that fewer notices have been sent out since last March.

“It came to my attention when a woman whose son had been stabbed asked me for help,” he said. “I was really surprised, because I had heard nothing about it from the police.”

When asked whether the mayor has tried to suppress information, Surrey RCMP spokesman Const. Tim Shields said: “I have a duty to be honest with the public, therefore, it’s my best response to say nothing.”

Shields added: “The RCMP has a duty to inform the public of dangerous crime trends.”Surrey Coun. Bob Bose said the city has a “serious problem” if press releases have to be cleared by the mayor.

“It would be inappropriate interference in the day-to-day operations of the detachment — an extraordinary thing,” he said.

kspencer

 

People: McCallum, Doug, Cadman, Chuck

Publication title: The Province

Pages: A4

Number of pages: 0

Publication year: 2002

Publication date: Sep 27, 2002

Year: 2002

Section: News

Publisher: Infomart, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

Place of publication: Vancouver, B.C.

Country of publication: Canada

Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals–Canada

Source type: Newspapers

Language of publication: English

Document type: News

ProQuest document

5 thoughts on “A bit of history on politics and the Surrey RCMP”

  2. Some time ago you wrote a list of the top 100 reasons to NOT vote Liberal. I am sure that, by now, that list could very well exceed 200 reasons. But the real point of that list is not the enormity of it but that we get it and seem to forget it. I read the list and I have added to it and yet, I don’t think I could cite twenty of the reasons and it would take effort to do so. We just don’t remember and we really don’t want to make the effort. Same is true for McCallum’s lengthy list. Well, the same is true for Harper, Redford, Clark and the list of deceivers could go on forever. Dissing the public has become the norm. Cheating the public is the new purpose for being in politics. Leaders cheat. See the latest example of the million-dollar chief of the 80 member Coquitlam band and he is only following in the footsteps of dozens of other so-called chiefs. Chief, mayor, premier, prime minister, MP, senator – they all rhyme with thief.

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  3. A dozen years have passed since the old mayor figured his police ought to be seen and not heard and the even older mayor figured Surrey must have a serious problem if its problems must be swept under the already bulging carpet. The problems have only gotten worse and gotten bigger in the meantime. Nevermind the bollocks – Surrey’s artists need to better mine their territory to let people in on the real story behind the politician’s and the chamber of commerce’s BS.

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  4. But we also have Barinder Rasode with a backroom full Crusty’s wheelers and dealers. Every level of government is so corrupt now, I wonder if everyone is dishonest and out for themselves, or that’s just what we attract to politics, now.

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  5. I honestly don’t know but I suspect that most of the bastards go in with good intentions and then, in a transition to entitlement, they get corrupted. I think it is like having an expense account. Even if you are dead honest and keep your expenses to a minimum, you don’t go hungry, you sleep in a nice hotel and you don’t really care what the renta-car costs. If it is my ‘own dime’, I eat, sleep and get about more cheaply. If it is ‘on the government’s tab’, I tend to loosen up a bit. That loosening-up is a very slippery and steep slope that a lot of people don’t mind riding long and hard. Redford wanted peace and quiet on her airplane so fake-booked seats. THAT is beyond loose. Clark had lunch for $3200. Way, way, beyond loose. And so it goes. Duffy, Wallin, et al. After a decade or so at the trough, a $200 lunch is the norm. Even a $500. And, anyway, who’s counting? BC has a HUGE $60(?) billion dollar debt. Does a fancy lunch matter? And that is the way they think.
    (I can think like a crook without being one. Like Sherlock Holmes only stupider).

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