01/08/06, Shannon Kari, RCMP to go beyond 'just the facts'
Post
With a report from Matthew Kwong.
The RCMP says it is trying to provide more context and not "just the facts" when it gives crime information to the public.
"Our policy does not include providing less information," said Corporal Tom Seaman, a spokesman for the RCMP in British Columbia. "It includes providing better information."
Cpl. Seaman was responding to an internal RCMP review by its communications section, which was obtained by the Vancouver Sun. The review reportedly suggests that the RCMP provide less information to the news media, so there are fewer crime-based stories and less chance of creating an irrational fear of crime among the public.
The report is nearly 18 months old, Cpl. Seaman explained.
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"Things have changed since then. Instead of just the facts, we are trying to be more proactive" in the information that is made public by the RCMP, he said. "We are making sure the public knows what we are doing."
The RCMP report also calls for a review of its policy that requires media relations officers to respond to all news inquiries. The policy has not been changed, said Cpl. Seaman, who noted that he answered nearly 30 reporters' calls yesterday, about whether the RCMP intends to provide less crime information.
Although the RCMP is prompt in responding to media questions about alleged crimes by members of the public, it has not followed the same policy in a case of alleged wrongdoing by one of its officers.
There still has been no detailed information released about the death of Ian Bush, who was shot and killed by an RCMP officer while in custody last October in the northern B.C. community of Houston. The police report of its investigation into that shooting, is now in the hands of the Crown, which will decide whether charges will be laid.
Vancouver police said yesterday that it attempts to provide information to the media on a regular basis, so residents will know whether a crime has been committed in their neighbourhood. The media might package this information "in a way that is reassuring to the public, or they may package it in a way that is alarming to the public," said Constable Howard Chow, a Vancouver police spokesman.
Information is held back however, "if it has to do with investigative reasons," Constable Chow said.
Raymond Corrado, a criminology professor at Simon Fraser University, said it is well established that the fear of crime is much greater than the actual threat to the public. What is needed, however, is not less public information, but more depth in the way crime information is released and reported, he said.
"It presents the RCMP and the VPD in a positive light when they are willing to explain things," Prof. Corrado said. "I think police would want to provide more information to reassure the public that they are on top of the problem."
Stranger-on-stranger crime is rare, Mr. Corrado said, yet those incidents are usually highlighted by news media, instead of the causes of "social disorganization" in certain neighbourhoods, that results in higher crime rates in such areas.
The RCMP says it is trying to provide more context and not "just the facts" when it gives crime information to the public.
"Our policy does not include providing less information," said Corporal Tom Seaman, a spokesman for the RCMP in British Columbia. "It includes providing better information."
Cpl. Seaman was responding to an internal RCMP review by its communications section, which was obtained by the Vancouver Sun. The review reportedly suggests that the RCMP provide less information to the news media, so there are fewer crime-based stories and less chance of creating an irrational fear of crime among the public.
The report is nearly 18 months old, Cpl. Seaman explained.
Print Edition - Section Front
Enlarge Image
"Things have changed since then. Instead of just the facts, we are trying to be more proactive" in the information that is made public by the RCMP, he said. "We are making sure the public knows what we are doing."
The RCMP report also calls for a review of its policy that requires media relations officers to respond to all news inquiries. The policy has not been changed, said Cpl. Seaman, who noted that he answered nearly 30 reporters' calls yesterday, about whether the RCMP intends to provide less crime information.
Although the RCMP is prompt in responding to media questions about alleged crimes by members of the public, it has not followed the same policy in a case of alleged wrongdoing by one of its officers.
There still has been no detailed information released about the death of Ian Bush, who was shot and killed by an RCMP officer while in custody last October in the northern B.C. community of Houston. The police report of its investigation into that shooting, is now in the hands of the Crown, which will decide whether charges will be laid.
Vancouver police said yesterday that it attempts to provide information to the media on a regular basis, so residents will know whether a crime has been committed in their neighbourhood. The media might package this information "in a way that is reassuring to the public, or they may package it in a way that is alarming to the public," said Constable Howard Chow, a Vancouver police spokesman.
Information is held back however, "if it has to do with investigative reasons," Constable Chow said.
Raymond Corrado, a criminology professor at Simon Fraser University, said it is well established that the fear of crime is much greater than the actual threat to the public. What is needed, however, is not less public information, but more depth in the way crime information is released and reported, he said.
"It presents the RCMP and the VPD in a positive light when they are willing to explain things," Prof. Corrado said. "I think police would want to provide more information to reassure the public that they are on top of the problem."
Stranger-on-stranger crime is rare, Mr. Corrado said, yet those incidents are usually highlighted by news media, instead of the causes of "social disorganization" in certain neighbourhoods, that results in higher crime rates in such areas.
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