By Greg Joyce, The Associated Press
VANCOUVER (CP) -- Terrorism and the increasing threat posed by organized crime have made Canada and the world a more dangerous place to live, the head of the RCMP said Wednesday.
“The world, in my view today, is a lot more dangerous place to live in for a whole host of reasons,” said RCMP Commissioner Guiliano Zaccardelli at a news conference on the final day of the annual Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police conference.
Organized crime is now more sophisticated than a generation ago and that is coupled with the spectre of terrorism attacks and the events in September 2001.
“I think the world is nowhere near as safe as when we were young men and women in policing.”
Zaccardelli and other police executives held a final-day news conference to highlight some of the discussions held during the 99th annual police chiefs’ conference.
While he believes Canada is still “relatively speaking” one of the most safe and secure places in the world, he said that “doesn’t give me any comfort because I know the threats have increased tremendously.”
Edgar McLeod, the association president and the chief of the Cape Breton Regional Police Services, posed the question and then answered it.
“Are Canadians safer and healthier than when I started my career,” he asked. “The answer unequivocally is no.”
But McLeod said it was more than simply a police problem.
“We all have a responsibility here. Citizens need to engage themselves in their neighbourhoods and communities.”
McLeod also was asked whether Canadians need to have a debate about whether it might be preferable to give up some personal liberties as a tradeoff for more security -- a debate that U.S. residents are having now in the wake of the Patriot Act that followed the 911 terrorist attacks.
The chiefs association has not taken a position on the matter but McLeod said it “would welcome debate on this.”
“There are tradeoffs on personal safety and people have to understand what those tradeoffs are.”
McLeod downplayed the concern that the public would see such a debate as an effort by police to bypass civil rights.
“There is no indication that I’ve ever seen in my history that police want to abuse or extract information and use it inappropriately,” he said.
“Police are citizens the same as everybody else and we want appropriate protections built in.”