THUNDER BAY – The politics seem to be more interesting to the Thunder Bay Police Service than fighting crime. At least, atop the administration, at the TBPS. Tomorrow the Deputy Police Chief will join a rally demanding that Bruce Hyer and John Rafferty vote to keep the long gun registry.
It doesn’t seem to impact with the TBPS Administration that both MPs ran on a solid promise to their constituents that they would work to scrap the registry.
Nor does it matter that most front line police officers will tell you that the registry is useless as a tool for them in fighting crime.
The Thunder Bay Police Service Executive are joining the Faye Peterson Transition House and the Northwestern Ontario Women’s Centre, all of whom are urging the two MPs to break their promise to the people who voted them into office.
The political actions by the TBPS Executive seem to be either encouraged or condoned by the Police Services Board. It is unlikely during the Civic Election that either Mayor Peterson or Westfort Councillor Joe Virdiramo will be willing to change the direction that the Police Executive has taken.
That direction, or perceived lack of direction may have political implications this year.
That could help the campaign of the Mayor’s challengers Frank Pullia and Keith Hobbs. The issue of crime in Thunder Bay is one that increasingly has the focus of local residents. Unless the issue of guns in the streets is not being reported by the Police Executive, gun crime in our city does not appear to be the real problem.
The real problems are not being addressed by the actions of Police Chief Herman and his Executive. Four years of not doing so likely is going to impact the campaign chances of Mayor Peterson, who also sits on the Police Services Board.
One of the leading issues on all of the non-scientific polls done over the past several months in the city show that residents are deeply concerned about crime. Mayor Peterson by not taking a solid lead in the fight to make our streets safer may have put her campaign far behind.
No one can question Keith Hobbs and his understanding of the issue. Frank Pullia in an ongoing effort to make sure he has a better grasp of the problem has ridden along with police on several occasions.
The real problems of crime facing Thunder Bay are serious. They are not well served by a Police Executive who seem overly focused on being politicians. If crime is an issue, having a Police Executive entering the political arena only says there needs to be serious change atop the heap in the fight to make Thunder Bay safer.
That of course is just my opinion, as always, your mileage may vary.
James Murray
News Director
