“This isn’t just a policing issue, it’s a community issue. When a small number of individuals are responsible for a high volume of crime, we must take a coordinated approach that spans the justice system, healthcare and social supports.”
That observation from St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp was a key takeaway from a roundtable discussion Thursday in St. Thomas attended by Roskamp, Aylmer Police Chief Kyle Johnstone, along with deputy chiefs from both services and Elgin-St. Thomas-London South MP Andrew Lawton and Brantford-Brant MP Larry Brock.
The two Conservative MPs are members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
Brock is criss-crossing the country drumming up support for his petition urging the federal government to return balance to the criminal justice system.
His goal is to “come back to Parliament in September and say to the government, for the last three years, you have refused to listen to the calls for bail reform from law enforcement, from chiefs of police, from presidents of law associations, of police associations, of premiers of every province and territory, mayors from small, medium, large communities, victim advocacy groups, community groups, and Canadians.
“You’ve turned down their pleas for bail reform. How are you going to turn down now a million plus Canadians who are demanding that you do your job, that Number 1 job to keep us safe?”
Chief Roskamp stressed in a media release, “The multi-sectoral nature of the challenge, involving not only police and the courts, but also corrections, mental health services and community organizations.”
Brock agreed there are other serious considerations at play when tackling public safety and prolific offending.
He stressed that there are a number of social elements to what he and members of the committee are proposing however, “we’ve got to start somewhere.”
You can find more details on what Brock is proposing and read the petition at http://www.larrybrockmp.ca/bail-reform-petition
Written by Ian McCallum
