SHOWS
Red Balls
Font size:
Inevitably, someone hell-bent on murder does not give their victim a warning. Inevitably, this means a lot of police time spent trying to protect someone who probably doesn't really need protecting...
On a daily basis, Blandmore receives a minimum of 5-15 calls from people whose lives have been threatened in some way.
These range in form from text messages from jilted lovers, to family feuds erupting in mayhem in the street, to business debts gone wrong, to drug-dealers at the door with guns.
Inevitably, someone hell-bent on murder does not give their victim a warning. Inevitably, this means a lot of police time spent trying to protect someone who probably doesn't really need protecting.
When a "threat to life" appears on the box, it's like a scene from Minority Report. "We got a red ball!" screams the control room, and the swat team springs to action. The sergeant's phone rings. In the next room, the inspector's phone follows. Before the call-taker has even put down the receiver to the anguished kebab house owner fearing for his life from the drunk he once refused to serve chips to, an unstoppable process has commenced. Statements will be drafted, people will be arrested, marked cars will be left on streets and panic alarms installed in houses. The force credit card will be broken out of it's tamper-proof bag and used to arrange free accommodation for the mildly-concerned victim.
Of course, this isn't always do-able. If it's a day when 15 death threats have come in, someone has to make a decision about which house to park the panda outside, which door in which to stick the fire-proof letterbox, which family to put up in a hotel. My inspector makes the call, using words like Intent and Capability to form his shield at the inquest into the one case he gets wrong. Some days, 2-3 of the threats might be deemed serious, on others, it will be none.
Decisions like these is why my inspector gets paid more than me. Decisions like these is why you need experienced front-line officers in that rank, and not fresh-faced graduates.
Yet again I find myself wondering how Tom Winsor can spend all that time researching policing, and yet still not really get what it is we do.
Policing is not surgery, science or literature. It's red balls, pure and simple.
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Twitter
Email to a friend
Print version
Plain text
Rate this article
Top Rated
- The 'Dancin Guy' and Me
- What does the Kuwaiti Crown Prince and Canada’s Dancing Guy have in common?
- Dancing Guy's Persistence is about to pay off
- Dying to Visit Chicago?
- 'Humble Journeys' touches everyone
Most Popular
- The 'Dancin Guy' and Me
- Dancing Guy's Persistence is about to pay off
- What does the Kuwaiti Crown Prince and Canada’s Dancing Guy have in common?
- Week 3: Hamilton 33, Saskatchewan 3
- The Changing Face of Lead Generation
- Students flock to Ottawa Street Osteopathic School.
- Gagandeep Virdi – Stoney Creek's Jr. Citizen of the Year 2012
- Josh Tiessen – Stoney Creek's Young Entrepreneur of the Year
- Get A Business Off The Ground in 54 Hours at Hamilton's Startup Weekend 3.
- More than 400 trees planted for Earth Day in Hamilton
Online users: 12
Featured author
Post your comment