‘Progressive’ Conservatives deliver decades-old tough-on-crime throne speech Downtown cameras, more police on the street not going to increase safety or resuscitate party’s prospects next fall By: Tom Brodbeck Posted: 5:50 PM CST Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/11/2022 (771 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s hard to imagine how the Progressive Conservatives’ new “tough on crime” agenda could rescue the party from the depths of political despair by the time Manitoba voters go to polls next year.

Collaring criminals with more downtown cameras and providing police with enhanced resources was the leading theme in the Tories’ speech from the throne Tuesday. It’s a continuation of a 1990s-style approach to crime and punishment Premier Heather Stefanson launched a few weeks ago. The hope is that by taking a tough stance on crime with corny slogans, such as “enough is enough,” the Tories will save themselves from almost certain defeat next October.

“Throughout our province, communities are confronted with unprecedented concerns over violent crime and public safety,” Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville read from the throne speech.

That may be. But there are different ways of addressing those concerns. The tough-on-crime approach that was popular in the 1990s, which the Tories have adopted, is the wrong one.

Jailing offenders and throwing away the key doesn’t resonate with the public the way it once did. There is far more public awareness about the human conditions that drive crime than there was 20 or 30 years ago. The Tories pay lip service to those root causes, but they show little understanding of them.

“Our government will continue to tackle the underlying issues of homelessness, addictions and mental health by providing increased supports for front-line law enforcement officers through technology, specialized training, increased police presence and support for more officers,” Neville said.

They’re going to tackle the root causes of crime by boosting the police complement?

Stefanson said one of the ways to make streets safer is to install more surveillance cameras downtown.

“We need to ensure that we’re catching the criminals who are out there, that are preying on vulnerable people in our downtown community,” she told reporters prior to the throne speech.

It’s stunning this is the best they can come up with. Putting more cops on the street and installing more surveillance cameras won’t do anything to reduce violent crime in Manitoba.

It’s stunning this is the best they can come up with. Putting more cops on the street and installing more surveillance cameras won’t do anything to reduce violent crime in Manitoba.

It’s also a non-starter politically. Tough-on-crime rhetoric may play well to the Tory base, but it will alienate the centrist vote in Winnipeg the party desperately needs to avoid electoral defeat.

What the throne speech should have included was a commitment to provide more specialized front-line services to take pressure off police, who are increasingly doing work they’re not qualified for, including performing wellness checks and dealing with mental-health issues.

Society doesn’t need more cops, it needs more trained personnel on the ground to deal with the increasingly complex issues that drive crime.

Society doesn’t need more cops, it needs more trained personnel on the ground to deal with the increasingly complex issues that drive crime.

The Tories are providing more resources for addictions treatment, including up to 1,000 more treatment spaces, and more money to combat homelessness. But the main theme in the “helping make our communities safer” section of their agenda is to chase down and prosecute criminals.

“Our government is not only putting additional funding into homelessness initiatives, but we will contribute additional funding to help police deal with serious street-crime, gang and organized-crime prosecutions,” said Neville.

“Over the next number of months, in collaboration with front-line officers, other levels of government and key stakeholders, my government will continue to strive toward a greater sense of safety whether you are going downtown to work, to sporting events or on a family outing.”

Police already chase down criminals and Crown prosecutors already prosecute the violent ones. It’s not as if they’re letting offenders off the hook. There are sentencing guidelines courts follow, including an emphasis on deterrence and denunciation.

Eventually criminals are released into the community after they serve their sentences. The more complex social and economic question of why they reoffend (and why they break the law in the first place) is where governments and society, in general, need to focus their attention.

Unfortunately, that was not reflected in the Tories’ throne speech. They obviously don’t think it’s a vote-getter.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca