REGIONAL POLICE CONTINUE TO BAFFLEGAB POLITICIANS AND CITIZENS

Today's Waterloo Region Record has a story titled "Military rifle gun of choice when lives at risk: police". Also today we have a story in the Elmira Independent titled "Under fire: The rising cost of policing". The stories are related in that they both deal with our own local profligate force. The two biggest lies in the first article are that contrary to the headline on page A2, our police are not "...often outgunned...". In fact I would suggest they are NEVER outgunned. Secondly the front page headline is completely deceiving but then the Record have given the story to a reporter who is just as likely never to have fired a gun in her life. Here's a newsflash. The C8 rifle is a close quarters combat rifle for use in military situations where there probably are multiple combatants firing at you. It is not designed to be used as a police weapon in 99.95% of the situations you will find in Waterloo Region. Indeed the statistics tell the story. Fourty years of regional policing have resulted in five people being shot by police. In a military situation this same firearm could fire several hundred rounds in a fourty minute time frame, much more if necessary. It fires a light .223 (5.56mm) calibre bullet at high velocity with relatively light recoil. Indeed it is a great weapon if you're under attack by the Taliban, Viet Cong or any other guerilla fighters around the world.

Here in Waterloo Region it's all about smoozing the politicians and the public. What's the difference between a man and a boy? It's the cost of his toys and that's what this is all about. $2,300 for a single firearm that is totally unecessary. An example was give of an O.P.P. officer murdered a couple of years ago near Seaforth. He was killed by a single shot to the head with a hunting rifle. If Officer Pham had a C8 in his cruiser it wouldn't have made an iota of difference under those circumstances. Yes if he'd been tipped off that ten criminals were waiting in ambush beside the road, perhaps a C8 would make the difference. Maybe.

Our force is costing us the taxpayers over $130 million per year. Wages are a huge part of that but so is this attitude that they need the best and most expensive of everything. Years ago six shot Smith & Wesson revolvers just wouldn't cut it. Plus they were inexpensive compared to a twelve shot Beretta 9mm. Then they weren't good enough and officers required .40 calibre Beretta's because the 9mm weren't as powerful. And on it goes. Now Regional Police need C8's. This is just getting thicker and deeper.