AS a columnist on jus- tice issues, it’s a large part of the job descrip- tion to be critical of publicly perceived prob- lems within the legisla- tive, enforcement and judicial parts of the sys- tem.

Being critical of any estab- lishment, especially ones like the judiciary or a police orga- nization, invites inevitable public feedback.

Normally, a columnist’s response to that feedback is not warranted, Raising the questions and provoking debate is the main aim. However, certain communica- tons demand a reply; perhaps an explanation or a response toa challenge.

One such lerter was pub- lished in these pages on April 25 (Police department criti- cism countered) written by Ken Hardie, the Communications Director of the Vancouver Police Department.

Now, if Hardie chooses to rebut anything said in this space, he is more than wel- come. Indeed, if he can pro- vide any information that sug-

s the information dis- cussed is, in any way, wrong or inaccurate, then he should write to correct the ny“.

But the letter in qe sion docs none of this. Py starts off by suggesting [ harbour a grudge and somehow, thacs why T have been critical of senior police management in Vancouver.

Sorry, but what Hardie surmises couldn't be further from the truth, Having .erved in both the RCMP and Vancouver Police Department, [ teel well quali- fied to sav T have the utmost respect for the serving men and women of the Vancouver police force.

They routinely go beyond the limitations of duty to pro- vide the best possible service to the public often in the most trving of circumstances,

r the pol

Leo Knight

crime and punishment

The problem, you see, is not the force itself which invites the criticism, tut that of'a chief who could not be more out of touch with the people who are at the sharp end of things. Or the small cadre of officers, marginalized by a lack of respect trom the majority of the department, who have aligned themselves with an unpopular regime tor the most self-serving of rea- sons.

Hardie complains about being referred to by “the pejorative, spin doctor.” Yet in the letter itself he tries to put a positive “spin” on a sur- vey of officers taken at the end of the vear which is rife with problem areas. When management released the sur- vey results, Hardie used trans- parent “spin” tricks in associ- ated graphs.

The answers on the survey had the multiple choice, 1 to 5 options. Yer in the accom panying bar graphs, the num- ber started at 0, thereby clon- gating the bar, making it appear more positive than it actually was. A cheap illusion and nothing else. What is that if not “spin?”

With thar as the back- groand, Hardie suggests there is something wrong with not calling him on an issue prior te publishing a column,

Why would T want to do

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Who really cares for a pol- ished response designed to minimize the intended criti- cism? It’s not the position of a columnist, paid to provide analysis and opinion on an issue. to seek the counter spin.

It’s more important to talk to the rank and file, middle management and senior peo- ple involved, to get at the heart of the issue. Too much of today’s media is controlled by the spin doctors instead of the basic tenets of journalism.

Bor the biggest problem | have with Hardie’s missive is the tinal paragraph in which he suggests that, you, the reader, need not concern yourself with my “esoteric musings” because you live on the North Shore and not the City of Vancouver.

Wh.t arrogance! Somehow Hardie thinks that it is only the roughly half

a million city citizens who should care what is happening with the province's largest police department.

Evidently the one million daily commuters who go into the city trom surrounding municipalities shouldn't care about their protectors.

What about those who use the city to attend sporting events, concerts, Stanley Park, the PNE, the courts, shop- ping centres, restaurants, nightclubs and a host of other events and attractions that make Vancouver one of the hest cities in the world in which to live? Do those peo- ple not have a stake in the organization responsible for their satery?

What about the North Shore's business leaders,

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movers and shakers? [f they own or manage a business in Vancouver ar travel to the city to conduct business and pay the high taxes associated with commerce in the city, are they not entitled to know what is happening with their policing service?

Considering the North Shore is home to many of the business leaders who pay the freight in Vancouver, it seems to me they should be con- cerned.

It would serve the interests of Hardie and beleaguered Chief Constable Bruce Chambers weil if attention were not focused on the mis- management of this proud organization which serves the population of the whole Lower Mainland, not just those who live within the city boundaries.

It’s to the credit of the publisher of these pages that the spotlight of concern is allowed to be placed upon issues important to all of us, not just 4 parochial few.

In the past week, I attend- ed avo police functions: a retirement dinner for one of the most respected inspectors in the department and a funeral for a long-serving homicide detective. At both events E was inundated with a similar request trom officers [ know and served with and from individuals [ had never met.

The message was simple: “Keep writing the truth, Someone has to.”

And that, dear reader, is what | intend to do despite any attempt at detlection trons a professional spi doctor.

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