The following is the recently released Mandate Letter from Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki. Key points are highlighted in bold-underline for the convenience of FrontLine readers. [node:read-more:link]
A teenage gunman opened fire at an elementary school in South Texas on Tuesday, killing 19 students, 1 teacher and another adult. The 18-year-old shooter was killed at the scene, possibly by responding officers. Salvador Ramos, who investigators was armed with a handgun, an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and high-capacity magazines, is suspected of shooting his grandmother at the start of the rampage. [node:read-more:link]
An independent six-month study of repeat criminal offenders is being launched by the B.C. government as part of a plan to curb chronic crime and random attacks. The study is led by Doug Lepard, a former Vancouver deputy police chief, and Amanda Butler, a criminologist and health researcher with a focus on mental health, substance-use disorders, criminal justice systems and prison health. [node:read-more:link]
Police in Victoria police say that “freedom” protests in their city over nine weeks months racked up nearly $360,000 in overtime for uniformed and civilian staff. However, since the events focused on B.C. legislature, the costs are being covered by the provincial government. [node:read-more:link]
This being Mental Health Week across the country, the CEO of the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association says it’s past time to address how law enforcement responds to calls from people in crisis. A 2019 review found that 70 per cent of deaths within 24 hours of police contact involved a “mental health issue.” [node:read-more:link]
A large police presence in Ottawa over the weekend ensured that the “Rolling thunder” biker rally ended with more of a whimper than a bang. There were, however, a few confrontations which resulted in at least 10 arrests, some 40 vehicles being towed and more than 760 tickets issued. [node:read-more:link]
An all-party committee of the British Columbia legislature has recommended that the RCMP be replaced with a provincial police force. “It has become clear that transformative change is required to achieve a new vision of policing and community safety rooted in decolonization, anti-racism, community and accountability,” the committee said in its April 28 report. [node:read-more:link]
Responding to calls for change, made after every major gun violence event, the federal government is ready to introduce new gun legislation as a next step to the May 2020 ban on numerous assault weapons. [node:read-more:link]
Claims that a protestor in the “freedom convoy” in Ottawa had been seriously injured in a confrontation with police has been dismissed by Ontario's Special Investigations Unit. It said April that the woman had sustained a “strained shoulder” when knocked to the ground, an incident which sparked rumours that she had been fatally trampled by a police horse. [node:read-more:link]
Randy Hillier, a former Progressive Conservative member of the Ontario legislature who now sits as an Independent but is not seeking reelection, was released on bail March 28 after the Ottawa Police Service charged him with an array of charge arising from his participation in the “freedom convoy” that paralyzed the capital’s core for most of last month. Among other things, he is charged with assaulting and obstructing police. [node:read-more:link]
Five weeks after police pushed a “Freedom Convoy” protest out of Ottawa, some of its participants returned over the weekend. Hundreds began the convoy in a community on Quebec’s south shore and picked up protester along the way to the capital, where they were escorted through the downtown core before making their way to a town in Eastern Ontario. Police reported no incidents but organizers say they’ll be back. [node:read-more:link]
A Quebec trial wrapped in secrecy with the approval of the judge, prosecutors and the defence counsel has violated the fundamental principles of justice, according to critics in the legal community. The names of the judge and defendant as well as the location and time of the trial of a police informant were redacted from the “Dossier X” public record and the trial only came to light when the defendant chose to appeal the verdict against him, claiming police had guaranteed him immunity. [node:read-more:link]
The Supreme Court of Canada has rejected a government attempt to block a class-action harassment lawsuit against the RCMP. A Federal Court judge certified the suit by officers in 2020 and that was upheld on a previous appeal. The government had insisted that such issues should be handled within the RCMP. [node:read-more:link]
One of the protesters arrested after a weeks-long border blockade in southern Alberta faces new charges arising from stemming from an incident in which a police barrier was breached by trucks and tractors. Joanne Person, 62, who already faces weapons and mischief charges, now is charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. Most of the 13 accused who appeared in court March 15 face charges of mischief to property and possession of a weapon but four are charged with conspiracy to murder RCMP officers. [node:read-more:link]
A suicide bomber struck inside a Shiite Muslim mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar during Friday prayers, killing at least 56 worshippers and wounding 194 people, hospital officials said. An armed attacker opened fire on police outside the mosque in Peshawar’s old city. One police officer was killed and another wounded before the attacker ran inside the mosque and detonated his suicide vest. [node:read-more:link]
