Editor:
Re: The Sept. 28 KTW article in which Kamloops RCMP Supt. Syd Lecky said prolific property crime offenders are being released by the courts, which are not imposing conditions sought by police (‘Catch and release justice system leading to spike in property crime in Kamloops’):
By baselessly attacking Crown counsel and judges, and mischaracterizing the courts’ approach to criminal offences, Lecky demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of his role as an unelected public servant and a disturbing eagerness to advance a political agenda.
Crown counsel follows specific guidelines when deciding what charges to approve and judges take their cues from Parliament and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when assessing guilt or deciding appropriate sentences.
As a private citizen, Lecky is welcome to advocate for harsher sentences, though one need only look to our southern neighbour to see the disastrous and financially ruinous consequences of mass incarceration, punitive sentences and a tough-on-crime approach. It is entirely unacceptable for Lecky to peddle these discredited approaches on the taxpayers’ dime. He should run for office if he wants to change sentencing laws.
From clearing the plains of Indigenous people to acting as strike-breakers for big business against the labour movement to framing and sabotaging progressive citizens throughout the 20th century, the RCMP has consistently been on the wrong side of Canadian history.
Recent admissions by top-level brass that it is a systemically racist organization provided some cause for hope the organization could be redeemed. However, Lecky’s attack on our independent judiciary, a hallmark of any democracy, suggests its institutional arrogance knows no bounds.
Joe Killoran
Kamloops
