RCMP Watch

( Prince Albert Daily Herald) - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are once more facing a barraged of negative opinion. How much more can the iconic institution endure?

With the heartbreaking loss of officers in several tragic situations still fresh in recent memory, added to the needless Taser-related death of Robert Dziekanski and the bitter aftermath of the Mahar Arar affair, the once proud RCMP has clearly lost some of its historic lustre of late. Last week alone, we saw the puzzling presence of Liberal Party organizers at what should have been a secret raid on Conservative headquarters, which raises the spectre of a security leak. We also witnessed some questionable approaches related to the murder of three children in B.C.

The RCMP is clearly a beloved institution in Canada. Its officers assume considerable roles in society. Yet, it also appears that the force is in serious trouble: too many young officers on the front lines suggest a major failure to plan for succession. Reluctance to be as open in releasing seemingly logical Taser-use data suggests some form of internal disconnect with society, a rift between the public and its police force.
We are at a point in Canadian history where the public confidence in this historic law-enforcement force is seriously waning.

That must change. The RCMP is not going to fade from the fabric of Canada - but the force must change to adapt to a complex array of new challenges.

We suggest this is the time for Ottawa to show some leadership and delve further into the challenges faced by the RCMP. A series of public forums, not dissimilar to recent public-input sessions on the state of health care, might be an appropriate step.

At the very least, this is certainly time to explore a host of new ideas and possibilities. It is time to reinvent the RCMP.

There have been far too many examples of late where the force has suffered greatly, and acted in a manner far removed from its lofty status of yore.