Pubdate: Wed, 09 Mar 2005
Source: Yorkton This Week (CN SN)
Copyright: 2005 Yorkton This Week
Contact:  http://www.yorktonthisweek.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2543

POLICE DEATHS FELT IN YORKTON

The Yorkton Municipal Detachment of the RCMP is feeling the loss of four
fellow officers shot to death in Alberta on Thursday.

"I think they're all handling it," noted Sgt. Mark Doratti in an interview
with Yorkton This Week.

However, "they all feel terrible," Doratti added.

He said officers know the job is "inherently violent", but none of them sign
up to be killed.

Four officers were shot to death while staking out a marijuana grow
operation in a quonset hut near Mayerthorpe, Alberta. Their killer, James
Roszko, who then shot himself to death, was known to the RCMP and
townspeople for his criminal activities and violent tendencies.

Although many people are calling for tougher drug laws and gun control, as a
result of the killings, Doratti said the situation is about neither of those
things.

"It's about our ability to take guns away from people, period . . . There
has to be some power given to police to take away guns from unstable
people."

When an acrimonious situation between people cannot be resolved with
dialogue, police have to be given the ability to protect the public,
stressed Doratti.

Yorkton-Melville MP Garry Breitkreuz said the killings point out the need
for scrapping the gun registry, as it "will not prevent crazies from doing
anything."

That's the job of the justice system, noted Breitkreuz, adding he refers to
it as the "legal system - there's no justice in it."

Officers are not supported by the system, which allows people like Roszko to
be roaming free., Breitkreuz said.

"Why was he out of jail?"

The liberalization of laws also puts police and citizens in danger,
especially when a person needs treatment but, like Roszko, refuses it, noted
the MP.

"You either take the treatment or stay in jail.

"Put the criminal behind bars and keep him there."

The money spent so far on the gun registry would be better used to get more
and better resources for officers, said Breitkreuz.

He said he doubted the effectiveness of a proposal by Emile Therien,
president of the Canada Safety Council (CSC), who sent a letter to the
Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police asking that a gun amnesty be
implemented.

"How many criminals are going to line up to turn in their guns?" asked
Breitkreuz.

Therien said while that is true, "people do turn their guns in to police
departments," and that can help prevent the weapons being used in suicides
(especially by males) and domestic disputes.

"We are convinced such a program, especially at this time, would be most
successful - the end result being to reduce the number of firearms

Therien noted the accessibility of guns is of special concern for the CSC.

He said he hopes an inquiry will be held into the deaths.

"We've got to find out" what happened, so it doesn't happen again, Therien
stressed.

A book of condolence will soon be available for signing at the Yorkton city
detachment. 
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