Toronto News

Toronto police can battle gun crime--if they really want to

On Monday the Toronto Police Service issued a news release outlining recent arrests involving possession of guns. Between August 18 and the 20th, Toronto police arrested 10 men, laid 69 charges and seized 6 illegal guns in various locations around the city. Since Monday, more guns have been confiscated and more charges laid including the seizure of a sawed-off shotgun found in a home where a 7-month-old baby and a 12-year-old boy were present.

This seeming flurry of arrests and seizures will hardly put a dent in the amount of guns that are the hands of those who are willing to fire them near residences, schoolyards and shopping centres. But it seems to be a start.

With the recent press release it appears that the number of arrests has increased; at least that is the perception. This shows that Toronto police can do better in the fight against this violent and senseless crime; if only they have the political will to do so.

Bill Blair became Torontos current chief of police after being chosen by the left leaning Toronto Police Services Board, headed by extreme left winger and professional limousine passenger, Pam McConnell. The former Toronto police chief, Julian Fantino, a real cop, was highly regarded and admired by the vast majority of law abiding Torontonians. But he was seen as being too much of a crime fighter and not into the politically correct gang members are victims theory that is so popular with the Kumbaya-singing crowd at City Hall and on the Police Services Board. Despite his overwhelming popularity among the citizenry, Fantinos contract was not renewed.

Enter Chief Bill Blair. Greatly admired by the left, he can talk about constructing more basketball courts, root causes and group hugs with the best of them. He came into office determined not to make the same mistake that had cost Fantino is job. Mayor David Miller and Pam McConnell et al had found their guy.

And the gun violence just kept escalating. The way the city approaches (or hopefully approached) crime could be seen in the comments made by Pam McConnell in response to statements that were made by Michael Thompson. Thompson, a black city councillor, suggested that police in certain areas of the city should have more power to stop young black males. While there is no doubt the well-meaning Thompsons suggestion was over the top, McConnell was quick to do what her ilk love to do; resort to name calling. McConnell called her black colleague a racist. This shows that she, like her fellow travellers on the left, are more concerned about young black males when they are stopped by police than when they are lying dead in the street. Young black males arent people to these lefties theyre just a group.

Mayor David Miller is no better. When he first got excited about gun crime which was relatively recently, his first comment was that "this isnt Toronto". The elitist mayor couldnt comprehend and couldnt care less about the fact that for many in this city, areas where gunshots go off on an almost nightly basis, this is not only Toronto, its their home.

But all of this has changed. And we probably have Citytvs Adam Vaughan to thank for that. Although the talking heads at Citytv are David Millers most ardent cheerleaders, Vaughan did an imitation of a real journalist and pressed the mayor for reasons why he couldnt be bothered to visit the 4-year-old boy that had been shot in a drive-by shooting. Miller stuttered and stammered and couldnt even fake an answer and this seemed to mark a turning point in the mayors realization of the political consequences of being oblivious to violent crime. Instead of hearing Ms. Pammys latest theories about putting more cops on bicycles to interface or do whatever the left wants cops to do, police are now being redeployed in crime ridden neighbourhoods. And that seems to be having some success.

Toronto police will only be able to reduce or at least contain the gun violence as long as political pressure is put on the mayor and the Toronto Police Services Board to take it seriously. If the pressure is not kept up on these criminal-huggers, the city of Toronto will continue on its downward spiral.

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