Cdn-Firearms Digest Sunday, February 17 2008 Volume 11 : Number 222 In this issue: UK: Police to focus on violent crimes- BBC News Non lethal Scud Stud real Tory candidate in Alberta re: Politicians's rights? Four sought in Finch-Neilson shooting- TheStar Man shot in Davisville park dies- TheStar Man's release spurs warning from police- The Vancouver Province Shooting victim keeps police in the dark- The Mississauga News Handgun seized, two charged following robbery- The York Guardian Cost of living driving police officers away from Metro Vancouver Editorial: RCMP culture not mended yet- TheStar Drugs, alcohol fuel in-custody deaths- The Vancouver Province ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:17:50 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: UK: Police to focus on violent crimes- BBC News Police to focus on violent crimes http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7249113.stm Image & Caption Schoolchildren may have to pass through metal detectors Police in England are to have targets on minor offences relaxed to allow them to focus on combating violent crime, the home secretary will announce. Last Updated: Sunday, 17 February 2008, 05:15 GMT Jacqui Smith is to unveil the Tackling Violence Action Plan on Monday. The government plan will include hundreds of metal-detecting arches and search wands for communities, aimed at combating the carrying of knives. The plan will also focus on alcohol use, which is factor in almost half of all violent incidents. A £1m awareness campaign will seek to convince young people that carrying a knife actually increases their risk of being a victim of violence. Ms Smith will announce new resources for hundreds of metal-detecting arches and search wands for local communities. The equipment is thought to be portable enough to go in the back of a police car and be taken to pubs, clubs, schools. Knives were linked to 258 deaths in 2006-7 compared with 219 the previous year. 'Greatest concern' The plan also aims to build on a recent drive to clamp down on the sale of alcohol to under-18s. The Home Office said that although just 1% of crime involves serious violence, alcohol is a factor in almost half of all violent incidents. The BBC's political correspondent, Guto Harri, said that despite violent crime making up a low proportion of recorded offences, the government has recognised it is the cause of greatest concern among the public. Police will also be urged to work more closely with other agencies such as social services and councils to spot people who may be likely to turn to crime. Ms Smith has also announced trials of a scheme allowing parents to check whether people with unsupervised contact with their children have paedophile convictions. - -- -- VIDEO AND AUDIO NEWS CCTV footage of street violence http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7240000/newsid_7249100/7249163.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1&bbcws=1 SEE ALSO Under-18s may face new drink ban 07 Feb 08 | UK Politics http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7229949.stm Push for new stop and search laws 30 Jan 08 | UK Politics http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7216815.stm Metal detectors plan for schools 21 Jan 08 | Education http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7198633.stm London gun crime figures increase 16 Jan 08 | London http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7191769.stm RELATED INTERNET LINKS Home Office http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites © BBC MMVIII ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:58:12 -0500 From: Lee Jasper Subject: Non lethal You'd never figure out what to attribute to whom. . . but it's the 'thought' that counts. > Dewey posted . . > From: vemalt15@shaw.ca > Subject: ENCODED AMMUNITION: > Date: February 16, 2008 21:44:52 PST > To: "Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@invalid.domain > > > ENCODED AMMUNITION: ATTEMPT AT AMMUNITION BAN IN ARIZONA! > http://tinyurl.com/2s4ks9 > > Len sez . . > I has been said, governments cannot GIVE you rights. . . > You are born WITH those rights . . . > it can only take them away . . > Government doesn't protect you . . . > You protect yourself . . > Government ( Liberals' Alan Rock) says you can't do that . . > is there something terribly wrong with that picture ? ? Ehhhhhhhh, the Rockmiester believed in 'gentle' persuasion. Maybe if we'd had that latest police thingamabob, errr Taser he would have OKed that as it's only lethal when MISused by the pulieze. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:47:47 -0500 From: Lee Jasper Subject: Scud Stud real Tory candidate in Alberta You Westerner's don't play fair, eh? And to think he doesn't speak 'mangled' English. Scud Stud carries Tory banner in Alberta vote By BILL GRAVELAND, CP CALGARY -- It's the image many viewers still remember from the 1991 Persian Gulf War -- Arthur Kent, a.k.a. the Scud Stud, standing atop the Dhahran International Hotel in Saudi Arabia, filing nightly reports for NBC to Canada and the U.S. against a backdrop of missile and anti-missile attacks. Seventeen years later, he has taken on the somewhat safer task of running as a Conservative candidate in the Alberta provincial election. The Emmy-Award-winning former war correspondent is running in the riding of Calgary Currie. Kent, now 54, was born in Alberta and grew up in the riding. But on this assignment, he's up against a popular incumbent Liberal, former radio host Dave Taylor. The question remains whether the Scud Stud will be a political dud. Never shy to speak his mind, Kent always has been a bit of a maverick. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:53:51 -0600 From: Joe Gingrich Subject: re: Politicians's rights? Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:30:41 -0800 From: Len Miller Subject: Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:30:41 -0800 From: Len Miller Subject: Politicians's rights? Cc: sobrianj@sympatico.ca, vaughn McMillan ( In Canada, the right to own property) ( in the USA ) the Right to Bear Arms . . . we should take away their rights also. Dennis Ketchum - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadians gained their individual property rights via the Magna Carta of 1215. Property rights were suppressed by the good Queen Victoria in 1867 by enacting the BNA Act. The BNA Act is now part of our Canadian Constitution, and individual property rights are of course still suppressed. The Montagues' Scrap Bill C-68 Case (in 2007) http://www.brucemontague.ca/html/0006.html#donate established that Canadians have the auxillary "right to arms for their defence" as so described in Blackstone's Commentaries of the Laws of England. Blackstone's Commentaries are perhaps the closest Britain ever came to having a written constitution. Individual civil rights can never be removed. The govts. of the day and its courts can and do, at times, suppress our civil rights. Yours in Tyranny, Joe Gingrich White Fox - ------------ Donate to the Scrap C-68 Legal Fund Let's do our part to raise funds in our clubs, associations and businesses. Ask for generous donations. a.. Donations of $100 and above will receive a copy of the documentary "Good Men vs. Bad Law". b.. Donations of $250 and above will receive a copy of the documentary "Good Men vs. Bad Law" and the Saskatoon Firearms Act Seminar 4-DVD set. c.. Donations of $500 and above will receive copies of the Saskatoon Seminar and the documentaries "Good Men vs. Bad Law", "Illegal Acts" and "Shootout at Rock Creek". Please send your cheque payable to the "Bruce Montague Scrap C-68 Fund" c/o Roger Nordlund, Trustee, RR#2, Site 211, Box 7, Dryden, Ontario, P8N 2Y5 Electronic transfer or direct deposit Dryden TD Canada Trust: 30 Princess St. Dryden, ON, Canada P8N 1C6 Transit #6068 Account #5201970 ABA #026009593 Make a Secure Online Donation using your credit card. Supports VISA, MasterCard, American Express, etc. Read Bruce's Thank-you Letter to Supporters. Note from Bruce: Please do me a favour and let me know if you use the electronic method of donation so that I can keep a list of supporters. I would like to thank each of you personally. Contact Bruce by Email Form Advertise the C-68 Court Challenge Download, print, display and distribute the Fundraising Flyer: One Page Version (35K) or Two Page Version (195K) (Acrobat PDF). Promote the cause among your contacts. Email the home page to your contacts (in IE use Tools/Mail&News/SendPage). ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:15:30 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Four sought in Finch-Neilson shooting- TheStar Four sought in Finch-Neilson shooting http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/304390 Feb 17, 2008 12:50 PM Toronto Star staff Police are looking for four men seen driving away from a fatal shooting in the Finch Ave. and Neilson Rd. early today. The victim, believed to be in his mid-twenties, was found lying outside a house on Dunsfold Cres. in the Finch Ave. and Neilson Rd. area. Residents say there was a party at the house that went late into the night. Police were called to 6 Dunsfold Dr. after neighbours heard gunshots and arrived to find the victim. "I can't tell you much more than that," said Toronto Police Services Det. Terry Browne. "I can say there may have been a house party here last night." Sivaram Sivajeyanthan, who lives next to the house where the shooting occurred, said he came home from work around 5 a.m. and saw cars lining his street. Sivajeyanthan said there was a party going on at the neighbour’s house. About an hour later, he heard "four or five" gunshots, heard somebody running on the street and then saw a man lying motionless in the doorway of his neighbour's home. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:22:26 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Man shot in Davisville park dies- TheStar Man shot in Davisville park dies http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/304381 Image & Caption Tape marks the site of an investigation into the shooting of a man by police in Oriole Park in the Yonge and Davisville area, February 16, 2008. - -Steve Russell /Toronto Star Witness reports hearing officers scream: `Put down the knife, put down the knife!' Feb 17, 2008 12:59 PM Robyn Doolittle Staff Reporter A man shot by police in a Davisville-area park last night has died. Two police officers were also wounded and sent to hospital, but there is no word on their condition. The province's Special Investigations Unit, which probes all police-related shootings, has been called in to take over the investigation. Witnesses said police were called about a person with a knife on Yonge St. around 8:30 p.m. Witnesses said they believe the person was allegedly involved in a robbery at the D & Y Market, north of Davisville, and fled into nearby Oriole Park just before police arrived at the scene. One area resident said he was approached by a man in the park moments before the shooting. "This guy, he was obviously drunk, was heading toward me singing and asking me for money. I just walked by, I was on my cell," said the witness, who didn't want his name used. "The next thing I hear is two cops screaming, `Put down the knife, put down the knife!' "I hear four shots, turn around, and the guy just dropped like a bag of hammers," the man said. Toronto police Insp. Chris Fernandes held a news conference last night but wasn't able to tell reporters much about the details leading up the incident. Local resident Christian van Heiningen, 27, said "odd things" have been happening around the park lately. "Three weeks ago we had some guy slashing himself in the park. Now this. I moved here because it's supposed to be a quiet peaceful neighbourhood." ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:29:39 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Man's release spurs warning from police- The Vancouver Province Man's release spurs warning from police http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=5d4557c1-8ec6-4f24-a4d6-1c910adbaa9a News Services Published: Sunday, February 17, 2008 VANCOUVER - Vancouver police have issued a warning of a high-risk offender released back into the community. Daniel Jeffrey Nash, 34, served a 10-year sentence for the sexual assault, forcible confinement and attempted strangulation of a 16-year-old girl. He poses a serious risk to teenage and adult women. As part of his release conditions, Nash is ordered to stay away from women, alcohol, non-prescription drugs and weapons. He is also banned from bars, clubs and other licensed premises. Nash is Caucasian, five feet seven inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. He has brown receding hair, hazel eyes and scars on his hands and knees. © The Vancouver Province 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:37:59 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Shooting victim keeps police in the dark- The Mississauga News Shooting victim keeps police in the dark http://www.mississauga.com/article/11280 2008-02-17 10:14:57.000 Investigators say they’re getting a different kind of knee-jerk reaction from a young shooting victim so they need help from the public to determine what happened. Peel Regional Police say a Mississauga teen who was shot in the knee Saturday night in Erin Mills isn’t cooperating with investigators about who shot him, why, or even where. The 17-year-old victim told police he was shot when he was robbed Saturday night around 10 p.m. at Credit Valley Public School in Erin Mills. Investigators say the victim has been less than truthful with them and, as a result, they can’t identify suspects. Police were called after the young victim showed up at nearby Credit Valley Hospital seeking treatment for his injuries, which are said to be minor. At the time, the victim told police he and another teen were the victims of a robbery. Investigators say they don’t even know for sure where the shooting took place. Anyone with information is requested to contact the Peel central robbery bureau at 905-453-2121, ext. 3410, or Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-tips (8477). ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:48:13 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Handgun seized, two charged following robbery- The York Guardian Handgun seized, two charged following robbery http://insidetoronto.com/news/York/article/41807 February 15, 2008 04:15 PM Police have charged two men and seized a loaded handgun following a robbery at a convenience store. Police allege two men wearing balaclavas, wigs, gloves and hoodies entered a store on Islington Avenue Feb. 14. One suspect pointed a handgun at an employee and demanded money. A quantity of cash was taken. Uniformed officers stopped a suspect vehicle at Alliance Avenue and Rockcliffe Boulevard a short time later and conducted a high-risk takedown. One suspect was in possession of a loaded semi-automatic handgun. Kenrick Rowe, 31, and Juno Daniel, 25, are charged with robbery while armed with a firearm, possessing an unregistered restricted weapon, possessing a restricted firearm with ammunition, possessing a restricted weapon knowing its possession is unauthorized and disguise with intent. Daniel is also charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a firearm while prohibited ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:03:21 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Cost of living driving police officers away from Metro Vancouver Cost of living driving police officers away from Metro Vancouver http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=d9c1c60c-041b-4f2f-86d7-4c7b17c55ee3 Struggles to keep officers as housing prices rise Cheryl Chan, The Province Published: Sunday, February 17, 2008 METRO VANCOUVER - Vancouver has become such an expensive place to live that its police force may have trouble retaining officers in the future. As police departments across Canada scramble to hire recruits in a competitive labour market, Vancouver Police Union boss Tom Stamatakis warns that staff retention could be an issue as members who can't afford to live in the community they serve look for alternatives elsewhere. "It becomes a recruiting issue when younger employees become older and think about starting a family or purchasing a home with a partner," Stamatakis told The Province. "They realize they can't do that in the city, and move out." Only 216 out of some 1,200 officers in Vancouver -- just 18 per cent -- live in the city. The rest are scattered across the Lower Mainland, with some commuting from as far west as Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Some members deal with the daily gridlock; others search for alternative employment in the RCMP or other municipal detachments, Stamatakis said. "We lose them at a time when we can't afford to," he said. "After being hired, trained and becoming experienced, they take the experience -- and take it elsewhere." It's a similar case in West Vancouver, where less than 10 per cent of officers live in the community, although 32 per cent live in neighbouring North Van. "The cost of living is a real concern because it comes into play with quality of life," said Sgt. Scott Findlay, who works in the department's recruitment and training division. Retention is always a concern for the 85-member department, which lost about six members in one year several years ago for a combination of reasons. The department is flush with staff now, although it expects to mount a recruitment drive within the year. The cost of living affects mostly junior members who can't afford to live on the North Shore, said West Vancouver Police Association president Ed Pearce. Three members in the last seven years have quit to move to Vancouver Island, where house prices were still affordable, to join the Victoria police, he said. In West Van, the median price for a detached home is $1.5 million. In Vancouver, it ranges from $665,000 in East Van to $1.4 million on the west side. In comparison, the median in Abbotsford is $413,000. Pearce said there's no quick fix to the problem. "I'm not sure what the solution is," he said. Where police live has become such an issue across the province that the Union of B.C. Municipalities passed a resolution last October urging the solicitor-general to work with the RCMP "to develop incentives, policies and programs that will encourage RCMP officers to reside in the community in which they serve." "From an enforcement and crime-prevention perspective, there are lots of reasons why we should want our police officers to live in the communities they police," said Stamatakis. Cops tend to be active participants in their communities, he said, volunteering in sports leagues and various associations. It is also common for neighbours to consult with them on an informal basis about security concerns. According to anecdotal accounts, a large contingent of officers live in Langley, where the median price is $529,000. Walnut Grove, in particular, "is almost like a neighbourhood of police officers from all jurisdictions," said Stamatakis. The starting salary for Vancouver police officers is $45,504, rising to $70,000 after four years of service. chchan@png.canwest.com - - - - WHERE TWO POLICE FORCES' OFFICERS LIVE - - West Vancouver Police Department. Among 85 OFFICERS: 27: North Vancouver 11: Burnaby 10: Langley and Fort Langley 9: Vancouver 8: West Vancouver 6: Tri-Cities 4: Sea-to-Sky Corridor 4: Surrey 2: New Westminster 2: Maple Ridge 2: Richmond - - VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT. AMONG THE OVER 1,200 OFFICERS: 18 per cent: Vancouver 15 per cent: Tri-Cities 14 per cent: Surrey 9 per cent: Burnaby 8 per cent: North Vancouver 7 per cent: Delta 7 per cent: Langley 6 per cent: Richmond 6 per cent: Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows 10 per cent: West Vancouver, Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack and outlying areas © The Vancouver Province 2008 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:22:30 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Editorial: RCMP culture not mended yet- TheStar RCMP culture not mended yet http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/303747 Feb 15, 2008 04:30 AM Was it only last year that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police culture was described as "horribly broken" by David Brown, the lawyer Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked to probe the force? How right he was. Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart has just vindicated Brown's view with a report that castigates the force for improperly keeping "tens of thousands" of sensitive records on Canadians in secret storage banks. "More than half the files we examined as part of our audit should not have been there," she concluded. This, despite an RCMP vow 20 years ago to clean up its act after a previous audit. What sort of data is the RCMP so determined to keep? In theory, information on national security and criminality. But in practice, anything. Stoddart cites the case of a Canadian man who irritated a tour bus driver by talking about "hijacking" the bus in a dispute over a tardy tour guide. The man was detained four days later by U.S. customs but wasn't charged. Five years later, the RCMP still had a secret file on this silliness. In another case, the RCMP kept a file for seven years on a young man who sent an email threatening government officials, but didn't expect his remarks to be taken seriously. What else have the Mounties got on file? Too much. They are beginning to look like J. Edgar Hoover's Federal Bureau of Investigation in their zeal to accumulate records on individuals. The RCMP doesn't have to confirm these records even exist. And that could mean serious problems for Canadians who want to travel abroad or who are applying for security clearance for a job. The Mounties promise to implement Stoddart's proposals to control databases better. But this latest debacle hardly inspires confidence in a 27,000-member, $4 billion force whose credibility is under fire. Former RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli resigned under a cloud in 2006 after testifying before Parliament, and just this week a Commons committee urged Parliament to hold Deputy Commissioner Barbara George in contempt for testimony she gave last year. The Mounties have been criticized for bungling the Air India inquiry, feuding with Canada's security service, sending Maher Arar to be tortured in Syria, using a Taser on a man in Vancouver who died, mismanaging their pension fund, punishing whistleblowers, misleading Parliament, and doing ham-fisted investigations. In his report to Harper on Dec. 14, Brown urged an overhaul by the end of 2009 of the RCMP's legal status, oversight and complaint system. Specifically, he called for a new civilian management board to provide "a more rigorous and balanced accountability regime" and a stronger, independent complaints commission. Stoddart's findings support Brown's sense of urgency. Informed civilian supervision and oversight can't come soon enough. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:32:18 -0600 From: News@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Subject: Drugs, alcohol fuel in-custody deaths- The Vancouver Province Drugs, alcohol fuel in-custody deaths http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=19f9c1a5-c80b-44db-9d20-75f31c7ccb09 Author states police force committed to reducing fatal incidents Susan Lazaruk, The Province Published: Sunday, February 17, 2008 An internal RCMP study documenting 80 in-custody deaths across Canada over five years found most involved alcohol or drugs -- and a growing number involved "excited delirium." Forty per cent, or 32 deaths, between 2002 and 2006 were attributed to alcohol and/or drug toxicity, followed by being shot by an officer, at almost 25 per cent. About 10 per cent died by suicide and the rest were by natural causes or trauma. The report found a typical in-custody death involved a male 30 to 50 years old who had a criminal record and was drunk or under the influence of drugs. "The subjects lived, for the most part, high-risk lifestyles," it said. "Their decisions resulted in their deaths." It said officers are in a "difficult position" dealing with intoxicated people because hospitals won't admit them unless they need medical help. "There's no doubt there's probably a high incidence of drugs and alcohol involved in those cases, but it doesn't exonerate the RCMP," said Murray Mollard of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. Mollard said that unless the RCMP allows independent investigations, it shows a lack of willingness for the self-critique necessary for systemic change. Mollard cited the case of Const. Ryan Sheremetta, who shot Kevin St. Arnaud dead in Vanderhoof in 2004 and was accused of giving false testimony during a coroner's inquest last year. His testimony was challenged and an external review by Toronto police was called only after the police public complaints commissioner investigated -- not after the internal investigation. The RCMP's in-custody death report also showed that of the total 80 deaths, 18, or almost one-quarter, involved "excited delirium." The condition, usually cocaine-induced and which requires a number of officers to control sufferers because of their superhuman strength, was cited in almost half of all deaths in 2006. That was up from less than one-third in 2005 and one-tenth in 2004. The author said in-custody deaths are sometimes unavoidable, but that the force was committed to trying to reduce them. slazaruk@png.canwest.com © The Vancouver Province 2008 ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V11 #222 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:d.jordan@sasktel.net List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca FAQ list: http://www.magma.ca/~asd/cfd-faq1.html and http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://teapot.usask.ca/cdn-firearms/homepage.html FTP Site: ftp://teapot.usask.ca/pub/cdn-firearms/ CFDigest Archives: http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/~ab133/ or put the next command in an e-mail message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca get cdn-firearms-digest v04.n192 end (192 is the digest issue number and 04 is the volume) To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next five lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-alert unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".) 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