Fredericton too small and quiet for armoured police vehicle, prof says

A Fredericton criminologist is questioning the need for a light armoured police vehicle in a city that has only about 56,000 people.

MichaelBoudreau, who teaches criminology at St. Thomas University, said the new vehicle, which was approved at city council on Monday night, would be out of place in a city as small as Fredericton.

"They're primarily in larger urban centres Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg where they have more crime but also more street protests, more needs for crowd control, more need for high level security," Boudreau said.

• Fredericton council approves armoured police vehicle, but no new officers
• Crime in Canadian cities: 'Perceptions do not necessarily match the reality,' pollster says
• Justin Bourque, Moncton shooting suspect, in police custody

"[In] smaller centres, I'm not familiar with many, if any, who have these vehicles."

The Fredericton Police Force asked for the vehicle, which costs about $350,000, as part of the city's 2017 budget. The department also asked for money to hire more officers and office staff, but thiswas denied.

Vehicle not needed in Fredericton?

Boudreau said there is nothing in Fredericton's recent history that makes him think the new vehicle is necessary.

"There was indeed a recent takedown, as it were, near the Westmorland Street bridge involving multiple officers, but [the] individuals were successfully apprehended without the need of said vehicle," Boudreau said.

Fredericton police are calling the vehicle an armoured rescue vehicle, a distinction Boudreau said is meant to soften the image of the vehicle.

"A rescue vehicle versus light armoured have two very different connotations," he said.

"Rescue means it's going to be part of public safety, light armoured means that perhaps the police are going to be far more aggressive than what they need to be in the context of community policing."

Legacy of Justin Bourqueshooting

The most recent incident New Brunswickers may see as having warranted an armoured vehicle was the shooting of RCMP officers by Justin Bourque in Moncton.Three Mounties were killed, but Boudreau said an armoured vehicle wouldn't have saved them, since they wouldn't have used it to respond to the initial reports about Bourque.

"Would they have had more of a chance in one of those vehicles?" Boudreau asked. "Yes, but that presumes they knew exactly what was happening, how many weapons he had, where he was, what his intent was and in most of these situations police don't have that luxury and they don't necessarily assume that either."

Boudreau said the perceived need for the vehicle comes from a growing militarization of police in North America. He said police often feel under siege from the public and by a perceived rise in crime that, except for specific cities like Chicago, isn't real.

"But it's an unfair comparison between Chicago and Fredericton. They're not the same in any way shape or form," said Boudreau.