Sorry for responding to some to a few posts back, but a colicky 6 week old is keeping me busy...
Caesar I do apologize for stating that you have a "hate on" for BSO's, I believe now you are misinformed. The Statement of quals you listed is correct, but there is much more to the process than that. It states that successful completion of the Border Services Officer Training and Assessment Program for new recruits at the Border Services Learning Centre in Rigaud, Quebec. In Riguad the use of force and "officer powers (criminal code) is taught in the very beginning, if you cannot pass both successfully, you fail and go home. Before you take the interview the board will give you some paperwork with the job description. In that it will state, using force for to effect an arrest, handle firearms (that is why a PALS is required so the applicant will have rudimentary knowledge of firearms, we handle A LOT of firearms). It goes on to say we may have to work in a hazardous or dangerous environment. Dealing with aggressive and violent clients. If the applicant cannot agree to perform all functions, the interview stops and the recruiting process stops.
Our use of force instructors go to the RCMP Depot in Regina, they are on the same instructors course as the Police. They must do a re-qualification yearly in Regina. If you read any Police force's statement of qual's it says nothing about firearms, deadly force etc. it talks more of Community Service etc.
I would say there is some validity to your statement that most legacy Customs Inspectors are more in line with your average Civil Servant, and not say, Police Officers. That statement would have been true 10 years ago, today I can say I see more drugs, guns, money, terrorists than the majority of cops. In 5 1/2 years since the BSO's have been authorized to enforce the CC I have probably have arrested 25-30 drivers and obtained convictions for impaired driving. The majority of those were in the first 2 years, I am not the exception or a "robo cop" I am the norm for my region, an average officer. We do not respond to car accidents and and do not handle the amount of domestics that a patrol officer would deal with, but I will deal with some situations that a patrol officer would never encounter. These days it is easy to say that BSO's are MORE in line with Police Officer's than civil servants. Saturday night they took a .25 cal from the pocket of a Detroit gang member, with several convictions for drugs and violence, when they went to get the weapon out of his pocket, he fought them. No one got hurt, but it does not sound like what a "run of the mill civil servant" or a "tax clerk" would do
I would probably quit and run for the hills if they armed every BSO, there are people there that should not have a sharpened pencil as they would hurt themselves and everyone around them. I do believe that the vast majority of BSO's would conduct themselves in a very professional manner if they were armed.
Having any military personal at the border will
NEVER happen. If it takes several years to arm the officer's at the border, the gov't will not accept the military. Remember the Liebrals attack ad "Soldiers in the city, with GUNS". The US, even right after 9/11 did not arm the reserves or National Guard. They were working at all border points, they were there to assist the Officer's, but they were unarmed. The US has used armed soldiers on their southern border, but that is a completely different world.
I can see Blackhorse 7's idea being feasible, using Coyotes with a surv package, but not one crewman would have any weapons. It is needed out west as they are just walking back and forth at will. I can forsee that happening, I actually am surprised it has happened yet.
On the rumour net at work, it is going around at the management level that they have already started the initial process of building a range in Rigaud, the CBSA College.
