[IcedCap]

Motorcycleboy Motorcycleboy:

Good link.

I can't really see any reason why the Tories wouldn't do it.

Ideologically, it's something they'd been inclined to do anyway. On top of that, it's a promise that's easy for them to keep, and not something that would meet any stiff resistance from the other parties.

And it's not, in the big picture, particularly costly.

If they remain unarmed its only a matter of time before a customs officer gets shot, there've been more and more of these type of incidents happening with American fugitives heading our way

[Jaime_Souviens]

Where did they bury the survivors?

[hwacker]

Guns are coming.

[Motorcycleboy]

lily lily:

How many of them really left their posts though? THe Huntington crossing was closed when they initially headed there, then Peace Arch closed when they rerouted.

Had that many border guard fled, several more crossings would have shut down as well.

This is the result of a concerted effort by the Customs Union to have their officers equipped with guns. A similar incident happened at Niagara Falls late last year.

The Union maintains the position that their officers should be armed and have now deemed it a workplace safety issue. Their policy is that anytime there's a possibility their people will face an armed party, they have instructed their members to leave their post and find a safe location.

I'm one who beleives that policing is best left to police officers. I don't support arming every authority figure who wears a uniform as they do in the States.

But I think the Border Guards have a point.

[Regina]

I know a few customs guys and I'm not sure they need to have side arms. I do think they need a bit more than cameras and wooden wig wags to stop cars. Their real job is to collect revenue and stop smuggling.....leave law enforcement up to the police.
IMHO

[Motorcycleboy]

IcedCap IcedCap:

If they remain unarmed its only a matter of time before a customs officer gets shot, there've been more and more of these type of incidents happening with American fugitives heading our way

What makes you think so?

This argument was bandied about a few years ago when the decision was made to arm the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. People said criminals in Newfoundland, who up to now respected the fact those cops weren't armed will now be tempted to shoot police officers because those officers are armed.

That hasn't happened.

A similar argument was made in the 1994 when cops in Ontario upgraded their firearms from revolvers to semi-automatics. Police critics argued this was going to cause an arms race as criminals sought to outgun the police.

That was nonsense too.

Street criminals are for the most part fucking idiots. Most of them are too dumb to get out of their own way, let alone plot to outgun police and security forces.

[Regina]

They are already trained extensively in self defence. I think it's a policing issue and that the real motive is to make more money by artificially raising their importance.

[Knoss]

$1:

The Union maintains the position that their officers should be armed and have now deemed it a workplace safety issue. Their policy is that anytime there's a possibility their people will face an armed party, they have instructed their members to leave their post and find a safe location.

That probably would be the best, that or if they locked themselves in their offices, eitherway under the current circumstances the RCMP should be involved.

$1:

Good points. I'd rather see more of an RCMP presence than to arm the border people.

I've thought of that, or a border police, I think that the responsibility and the risks of an untrained armed person are such that Customs and Revenue personel should be restricted to office duty and their numbers reduced.

[IcedCap]

Motorcycleboy Motorcycleboy:

IcedCap IcedCap:

If they remain unarmed its only a matter of time before a customs officer gets shot, there've been more and more of these type of incidents happening with American fugitives heading our way

What makes you think so?

This argument was bandied about a few years ago when the decision was made to arm the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. People said criminals in Newfoundland, who up to now respected the fact those cops weren't armed will now be tempted to shoot police officers because those officers are armed.

That hasn't happened.

A similar argument was made in the 1994 when cops in Ontario upgraded their firearms from revolvers to semi-automatics. Police critics argued this was going to cause an arms race as criminals sought to outgun the police.

That was nonsense too.

Street criminals are for the most part fucking idiots. Most of them are too dumb to get out of their own way, let alone plot to outgun police and security forces.

I think you're a little confused, I said "If they remain UNARMED its only a matter of time before a customs officer gets shot"

[QBC]

Hmmm..... US criminals, US law enforcement, US crime, gun fire on US side of the border, and it's the Canada Border Services problem how?

I don't think I would have stood there while the US officials were firing in my direction either. Now I agree that our border guards should be armed or the RCMP should be stationed at crossings for just this type of event, but to blame unarmed people from getting out of the line of fire is stupid. What would they have done anyway? fire in the direction of the US officials that would have been right behind the criminals being pursued?

[ShepherdsDog]

If we're going to have armed customs agents at our crossings, we're going to need a better calibre(no pun intended) of individual working these posts. No longer should it be a position filled by university students working for the summer. Perhaps they should be looking at the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires to help fill some of these positions.

[Tricks]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

If we're going to have armed customs agents at our crossings, we're going to need a better calibre(no pun intended) of individual working these posts. No longer should it be a position filled by university students working for the summer. Perhaps they should be looking at the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires to help fill some of these positions.

Maybe Reservists?

[Motorcycleboy]

IcedCap IcedCap:

Motorcycleboy Motorcycleboy:

IcedCap IcedCap:

If they remain unarmed its only a matter of time before a customs officer gets shot, there've been more and more of these type of incidents happening with American fugitives heading our way

What makes you think so?

This argument was bandied about a few years ago when the decision was made to arm the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. People said criminals in Newfoundland, who up to now respected the fact those cops weren't armed will now be tempted to shoot police officers because those officers are armed.

That hasn't happened.

A similar argument was made in the 1994 when cops in Ontario upgraded their firearms from revolvers to semi-automatics. Police critics argued this was going to cause an arms race as criminals sought to outgun the police.

That was nonsense too.

Street criminals are for the most part fucking idiots. Most of them are too dumb to get out of their own way, let alone plot to outgun police and security forces.

I think you're a little confused, I said "If they remain UNARMED its only a matter of time before a customs officer gets shot"

My bad. Duh!

[Motorcycleboy]

Regina Regina:

They are already trained extensively in self defence. I think it's a policing issue and that the real motive is to make more money by artificially raising their importance.

I don't think so. As I said earlier, Senator Colin Kenny, a Liberal, spent two years doing a re-evaluation of our border security. He recommended reducing tarrifs and reducing the role Customs officers play in revenue protection and making the whole process more security oriented. Consdering they spent two years looking into it, maybe they should actually introduce some of his recomendations.

People here have a point though. I'd be a little concerned about arming the average customs officer at the border. There's going to have to be alot more training and screening offered.

[hamiltonguyo]

Why not just train them like you train a Police Officer? or have a quick response force at each crossing so you can keep the cheapie university agents...