When I was a little boy, many more years ago now than I care to remember, I was taught that there were certain people of the community who could always be relied upon to help in a time of need. Who were there to protect the innocent and lost or hurt  and to stop the wrongdoers.

They wore funny hats back in those days with rounded high tops and peaks back and front, they carried only a whistle, and a truncheon and maybe some hand cuffs.

Some walked their beat, some rode bicycles if they were country based, and some drove around in black Wolsley cars. All were known and respected.

They were the bobbies in the 40s and 50s of the last century in England, and their purpose was to serve and protect the citizens of the country.

I did respect them and listened to them when they asked me questions or answered mine to them. They were people just like I was and I always felt protected when they were around. I believe being a bobby back then was a calling, and a very respected profession.

It has changed.

Now I have grandchildren of my own and the very last people to whom I would recommend they turn to for help are the present day police.  Yes there are probably some with the old concept of being a policeman, but I would not like to trust my luck in finding one when I needed him (or her).

 All it takes is to see what todays policeman has become to see what has happened. I mean today, even if you surrender to their yells and screams to “get out of the car now”, “get down on your face”, “shut t.. …. up”, “put your hands behind your back”, “don’t talk unless I ask you a question” ,  you are still likely to be roughed up.

 We have all seen videos of police beating up on unarmed protestors peacefully demonstrating or singing the national anthem, of young men who have had too much to drink surrendering to the cops and being repeatedly kneed in the back and kicked even though they were obeying the commands and not resisting at all. We have seen tear gas and mace and tasering without real provocation, just because it can be done. We have read stories of young girls under the influence and scared being hand and foot cuffed and left in a cold cell all night.  We have heard of young and old, beaten in jails and left to die. Or a new arrival to the country being tasered to death by four of our bravest and best.

 The stories go on.

 So what’s it all about you might ask?

 I can only guess but I am pretty sure I have it right.  The police of today are semi military units with noise and water cannons, tear gas, plastic hand ties to be pulled too tight, dogs and horses. Their major concern is crowd control. It doesn’t matter if that crowd is one person or hundreds, they must be controlled and not allowed to speak their mind.  Personal freedom means nothing to this new policeman, unless it is their freedom to do the maximum damage they can and get away with it.

 What is the purpose of this? 

 I think we are being prepared for martial law, not just here in Canada and the USA but worldwide. 

Oh yeah now we get to the conspiracy theory stupidity I hear you say. 

Well maybe. 

But perhaps you have a different explanation.

Perhaps you can explain the anger and hate all over the faces of some of the so called “plain clothes” police at the G20 fiasco.

Perhaps you can even explain why plain clothes police were mixed in with the riot police.  Seems as if that would be a perfect mix for provocation to me. In the videos I saw they appeared from the crowd of protestors or on lookers, not from the police ranks and they had a free pass through the bicycle barricades and permission to use their batons on whomever they chose.

In my little town of Victoria BC, the police are as violent as I have mentioned above, in fact several of the examples are from here. This is a small city of old people, government workers, students, tourists and young families. We have enough problems with unemployment, under employment, sick and homeless people and we do not need a hostile police force that when they act as above, are held blameless and allowed back out again to repeat.

What is the answer?  

Well I think that lies with the rag tag collection of puppet politicians we keep electing time and again who encourage this lack of respect for the people because they share that lack of respect.  As long as we do not hold them accountable, as long as we do not hold our courts, and particularly our judges, accountable to the law,  then we are totally responsible for what we get.

 So I will not tell my grandchildren to rely on and trust the police until such time as the courts, politicians and police show they have earned that trust again.

 Too bad as the old system worked well for all of us who called ourselves human beings.