In a perfect world, the daily productivity of all public workers should be a matter of public record because we have a right to know if people are actually working for the salaries we taxpayers pay them.
In Quebec it's not uncommon for bureaucrats to be assigned no tasks if there is no work for them to do. So they get paid to read newspapers all day.
One area that requires scrutiny is the local police force. There has been a massive drop in crime but no corresponding police layoffs.
Last year saw the lowest total of murders in Montreal since the island was united in one city and this year we've only had two murders when last year we had five, so there's likely a lot of officers twiddling their thumbs.
As a consequence we've got enforcement of victimless crimes such as jaywalking and hyper-mediatization of small misdeeds.
Laval police even issued a warning against people driving with snow on their cars, apparently a sin they deem ticket-worthy, as a way to fund and justify their jobs.
In recent months the local cops have also tried to drum up business by issuing calls to the public to locate victims of people already accused of certain crimes.
Now if someone is accused of 13 counts of shoplifting, does it really matter that a 14th shopkeeper come forward to serve as a witness against the accused?
I don't know whether it's psychologically beneficial for a crime to come forward and follow through with a complaint but beating the bushes for such people seems a bit desperate.
There's also the philosophical question of whether a victim is morally obligated to report a crime. In some countries the solution rate is so low that most people don't even bother visiting a police station it's nice to think that those who want to report crimes here will do so without being egged on by authorities.
Last week police put out a request for alleged victims of Walid Mustapha Chaloub, 31, who allegedly got girls aged between 15-18 to sign contracts for lucrative work. He then allegedly threatened them with fines when they balked after discovering that the lucrative work consists of prostitution.
Sounds like a terrible plan to me.
But it could be argued that publicizing the accusations so widely could endanger his chance at getting a fair trial and even undermine his security.
Here's the best argument against the call-for-victims practice: eight and a half years ago, on September 21, 2005 to be specific, Roxboro’s Mark Sadovski, 59, was stabbed to death at Bordeaux prison, where he was being kept in spite of not having been convicted of any crime.
The Polish-born denture specialist had been accused by two elderly female clients of having sexually molested them.
The police put out a call for additional victims and the media published his photo and his alleged status as a rapist of old women.
On the same day that newspaper came out, fellow-inmates beat him to death in the prison courtyard. Various firings, recriminations and other examination of events ensued.
I believe that the local cops either stopped or slowed down on the call for victims scheme until about two years ago, but they're going forward with it again full steam.
In Quebec it's not uncommon for bureaucrats to be assigned no tasks if there is no work for them to do. So they get paid to read newspapers all day.
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| Walid Chaloub |
Last year saw the lowest total of murders in Montreal since the island was united in one city and this year we've only had two murders when last year we had five, so there's likely a lot of officers twiddling their thumbs.
As a consequence we've got enforcement of victimless crimes such as jaywalking and hyper-mediatization of small misdeeds.
Laval police even issued a warning against people driving with snow on their cars, apparently a sin they deem ticket-worthy, as a way to fund and justify their jobs.
In recent months the local cops have also tried to drum up business by issuing calls to the public to locate victims of people already accused of certain crimes.
Now if someone is accused of 13 counts of shoplifting, does it really matter that a 14th shopkeeper come forward to serve as a witness against the accused?
I don't know whether it's psychologically beneficial for a crime to come forward and follow through with a complaint but beating the bushes for such people seems a bit desperate.
There's also the philosophical question of whether a victim is morally obligated to report a crime. In some countries the solution rate is so low that most people don't even bother visiting a police station it's nice to think that those who want to report crimes here will do so without being egged on by authorities.
Last week police put out a request for alleged victims of Walid Mustapha Chaloub, 31, who allegedly got girls aged between 15-18 to sign contracts for lucrative work. He then allegedly threatened them with fines when they balked after discovering that the lucrative work consists of prostitution.
Sounds like a terrible plan to me.
But it could be argued that publicizing the accusations so widely could endanger his chance at getting a fair trial and even undermine his security.
Here's the best argument against the call-for-victims practice: eight and a half years ago, on September 21, 2005 to be specific, Roxboro’s Mark Sadovski, 59, was stabbed to death at Bordeaux prison, where he was being kept in spite of not having been convicted of any crime.
The Polish-born denture specialist had been accused by two elderly female clients of having sexually molested them.
The police put out a call for additional victims and the media published his photo and his alleged status as a rapist of old women.
On the same day that newspaper came out, fellow-inmates beat him to death in the prison courtyard. Various firings, recriminations and other examination of events ensued.
I believe that the local cops either stopped or slowed down on the call for victims scheme until about two years ago, but they're going forward with it again full steam.