A Canadian Border Services Agent has been shot today at the Douglas Border Crossing in Surrey. Evidently that border crossing has been closed and traffic is being diverted to the Truck border, Aldergrove or Sumas crossings. Witnesses heard two shots fired around 2:00 PM. Police are stating the suspect has a self inflicted gunshot wound. The CBSA officer was on duty at the Peace Arch border crossing in Surrey when the officer was believed to have been shot by a male suspect who then killed himself. Here's a link to the border web cam to see when it reopens. Kim Bolan ir reporting that is was a female border agent who was shot in the neck by a man reportedly driving a vehicle with Washington plates.
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Update: Police have identified the shooter to be 32 year old Andrew Michael Crews. Crews was a tattoo artist who worked at a parlour in Silverdale, Wash., west of Seattle. He grew up in Las Vegas and recently moved to the area, his co-workers and friends told CTV British Columbia. Lori Bowcock, the Canadian border agent shot in the neck is expected to make a full recovery.
I can’t believe Canadian border agents aren’t armed yet. That is astounding. With all the drugs and gangs crossing the border, not arming the border guards is insane. How are they supposed to defend our border? There’s a plan in place to train and arm the border guards but it still hasn’t happened yet. Astounding.
They are armed. Have been for over 5 years.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you talking about? They ARE armed, have been for 5 years plus.....
ReplyDeleteI just noticed an article that said Vic (Vikileaks) Toews won’t speed up the arming of border guards because of this shooting. I thought they were armed already.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.canada.com/Toews+speed+arming+border+guards/7410629/story.html
Perhaps it is not ALL of them that are armed, but the last time I transited the border via the truck crossing a couple years back I saw a couple that were. They decided to search my vehicle based on my plates being from a concealed carry state, all the Middle Eastern stamps in my passport, and my occupation.
ReplyDeleteThey had an armed officer as part of their 3 person search team. This dude was going out of his way to try and keep a clear lane of fire on his supposed primary threat (me) and once I realized this I took great pleasure in doing stuff like stepping around the vehicle, forcing him to scramble to adjust his position, only to have to do so again every time I moved. If you knew what was going on it was funny as shit, pure amateur hour. The wife's tactical background is minimal and she picked up on it as well. That tells you how obvious (and therefor how unskilled) this guy was. He did everything but put his hand on his weapon.
I also talked with a couple of them about 4 years back that had gone through the training, apparently a lot of their classmates has some serious difficulty absorbing the material and actually qualifying on the range.
A low level of basic competence is not really what we'd be looking for here, but the short period of time spent on beginner level material is not going to generate a very high level of skill. Consider that these recruits have come from a country/culture which discourages/demonizes guns, especially handguns, and your odds of having a student that has previous training/experience that his agency could benefit from is almost non-existent.
You think a 2 or 3 week crawl/walk/run course is gonna bring these folks up to an acceptable level of skill and comfort with an inanimate object they've been told all their living is inherently dangerous? Good luck with that. Now put that pistol in a level 3 security holster which requires much more time to develop the ability to draw the weapon in a reasonable amount of time to be able to counter a real world threat. If they can't get the gun out and two rounds on target from 7m in under 2 seconds, analysis of actual incidents suggest THEY will be the ones getting shot.
Apparently they've had a lot of ND's (negligent discharge's, sometime incorrectly referred to as an AD, or "accidental discharge") as well. This further evidence of a low level of familiarity/training/skill.
A character in a movie once said, "A man's got to know his limitations". Good advice, fictional character or not.
I think that must be it. They have armed some not all and the plan to train all is on the table. I agree someone needs to be trained to use a firearm especially in an official capacity. When I see the transit cops carrying guns on Skytrain, my first question is how are you going to get a clear shot at a suspect on a crowded skytrain. Yet in the States, even security guards and mall cops carry guns. Our border agents should have guns. There's no question about that. At least some of them are now and the plan is on the table to train the rest of them in due process.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, but they need to be able to demonstrate a certain standard of proficiency.
ReplyDeleteIf I understand correctly, a lot of the Skytrain cops are former city PD or RCMP.
"Mall cops".......there really is no such thing, they don't have police powers in the same way a municipal Police Officer does although in a very small number of jurisdictions they will sometimes has a "Special Police" commission for various reasons. They will not have gone to a Police academy or anything, their training will be that of whatever is required by the State for armed security guards, which is all they really are. They will just be doing more arrests than the average armed guard does.
Armed security jobs in the states, although they may only require 40 hours of training and a range qualification, are often staffed by veterans of military service or former, and often future police officers. Lots of guys who get out of the military will work a gig like that while waiting for a law enforcement job to open up. A lot of them are people who own guns themselves and shoot/practice more often than some cops do.
The question is not really to train them or not, but rather what standard and level to train them to.
In a police academy that lasts 6-8 months, they may not be spending more than 2-3 weeks total on firearms instruction but it is spread out over a much longer period of time which makes a BIG differences in the level of ability. Recruits can practice draw stroke, dry fire, and various other drills in their off duty time. And likely they are getting a lot more range time. In 2-3 weeks not so much, and given the Canadian level of devotion to such things I doubt they will be qualifying more than 2x a year, with no agency sponsored/paid practice time. If they want to shoot they may be buying their own ammo and joining a gun club (fewer and fewer of those around)to be able to do so.
In addition, taking someone already employed out of service for a few weeks while you do this has to be a staffing/logistical nightmare for Border Services, much easier just to train them when they come through the academy before they start working.
Wow;
ReplyDelete"The Canada Border Services Agency has seized a record 14 tonnes of precursor chemicals in Prince Rupert."
"The chemicals used to make ecstasy and GHB pills were found hidden in a shipment originating in China, and declared as glycerin."
"When CBSA officers took a closer look at the 552 jugs, they found them to contain four precursor chemicals used to make methamphetamine, MDMA and gamma-butyrolactone."
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/C
To whom were the chemicals going; and WHERE is that lab., that can handle all the precursors...?
While I'm at it, a new BIG bust;
ReplyDelete"Eight people from the Calgary area and the Lower Mainland have been arrested and face over 100 charges in a significant organized crime bust announced today by police."
"The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team said it has seized drugs, guns and cash from a suspected cocaine and marijuana trafficking operation between both provinces. They’ve also used proceeds of crime legislation to seize a $1.5 million home in Rocky View, cash, jewelry and seven vehicles."
"It’s alleged the group was bringing drugs from B.C. for sale in Alberta for several years."
"It’s also alleged they paid people for use of their identities to cover their financial tracks and launder their proceeds of the drug sales."
“This group is a major player in the local drug trafficking scene,” said Insp. Gerry Francois."
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/crime-a
14 tonnes? That is massive. Two mayor busts. Doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out which organized crime group.
ReplyDelete