SkyTrain cops with guns

There are already a lot of people up in arms in Vancouver about TransLink’s move to arm its transit police (check out the excellent article by Charlie Smith about this in the Georgia Straight)

My own feelings are mixed on the issue and maybe my own perspective is a little hazy, since I only take the SkyTrain on rare occasion (I carpool).

Still, it’s well known that drug dealers and other criminals use the transport system as a mobile base of operations (note this article by Cheryl Rossi in the Vancouver Courier). This contributes to an overall crime problem for the city. If gun-toting cops are what’s required to keep the bad guys away, then I’m for it.

Some might point out that many criminals will just move their operations elsewhere, but their activities will continue unabated in less public areas.

Meanwhile, innocent members of the public will now be threatened with the possibility of dying in some dramatic shoot-out between transit cops and gangsters.

To the first point, I’d reply that the goal here isn’t the total eradication of crime (an impossible ambition), but its reduction. SkyTrain stations are not isolated outposts on the fringes of Vancouver – they are gateways to our neighborhoods and the areas where we work and hang out. If criminals are forced to move to the margins to continue their pursuits, it benefits the city as a whole, as our public areas frequented by the majority of citizens become safer.

As for the threat of a catastrophic firefight on the trains, while it does exist, it seems remote. The transit cops have the same training as the city police and the same rules to follow when using firearms. Dirty Harry’s need not apply.

That said, I suspect that TranLink's gunslingers will make our city a safer place - and that's a worthy goal.