Your history lesson from 2009, regarding repeated vandalizing of an outhouse in a park, illustrates both need for more policing and lack of progress. (Reference your July 9, 2012 issue, page 2.)
Society is full of jerks. Loss of the outhouse would have illustrated the concept of “tragedy of the commons” — when everyone is responsible no one is, psychologically troubled people get away with their bad deeds.
Those park users who want to should vote for more policing — this is the time to do so, with an election coming foster better candidates and grill all candidates. Unfortunately your article on Herb Haldane’s plan to run for Mayor of Sooke does not indicate if he will free up funds for policing by eliminating things government should not be doing. In your article he only emphasizes total budget, but that rarely works as programs only get trimmed a bit — that’s not fair to essential ones like policing and not fair to municipal employees who are already efficient.
Of course today technology is affordable to intrude on honest people with hidden cameras that record activity, motion-detected, and can alert police by radio. Does the RCMP use them?
Keith Sketchley
Saanich BC