The letter (Penticton Western News, Dec. 8, Pomp and ceremony) critical of the ‘pomp and ceremony’ which surrounded the murder of Const. John Davidson of the Abbostford Police Service obviously didn’t seem to understand the public’s reaction to this senseless killing.
The letter is extremely ignorant as to what happened and why. The public’s reaction to this killing was not some orchestrated event. It was, in fact, a deep and genuine acknowledgment and outpouring of emotion of the fact that someone who had taken an oath ‘to serve and to protect’ them had been taken.
Const. Davidson was one of them. He was someone who lived and worked in their community and faced all the trials and tribulations that they faced in everyday life. He had gone to work that day with every expectation of returning to his loved ones at the end of that day. Just as the letter writer had. The difference was that he did not return and the reason was that he had attempted to protect them from the actions of a deranged individual. Const. Davidson was not above or below them, just simply ‘one of them’ with an added responsibility to protect them. Their reaction was sincere, heartfelt and spontaneous.
The letter writer seems to think that certain words are the same. The ignorance of the difference between soldier and a police officer are regrettable. The two occupations are not even similar. A soldier is tried, with the exception of the more recent role of Peacekeeper, basically to kill. He volunteers to go to a foreign land to fight for global peace. This is a very noble profession and an important role on the world stage. At the present time it mainly involves the containment or eradication of Islamic extremism. Each and every solder who is killed in a foreign land is returned to Canada with full military honours by their regiment, hometown etc. Witness the mass turnout of civilians on the Highway of Heroes near Toronto.
A police officer on the other hand is trained to ‘serve and protect’ the public in their local community. yes, they will learn how to confront and control danger but the role is to serve the public and protect them and their property — very different from soldiering.
No police officer expects to be killed, although, they are more prepared for that eventuality. Being alive, of course, means that we will face death at sometime but should we die in an accident we are not by definition killed. Yes, dying in an accident means no pomp and ceremony or bigger and better show (so callous) but each and everyone of us lives with that possibility — although, understandably, it is usually far from our mind. We too also just wish to go home at the end of the day.
Kerry Baxter
Penticton