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Parenting is no easy job, writes former Rimbey RCMP officer

There is little doubt that Cst. Kenny’s statements would bring up the ire of some parents. I think the validity of his statement is all about timing. When it is your child involved, you see things differently than when it is the neighbour’s kid.

Dear Editor;

There is little doubt that Cst. Kenny’s statements would bring up the ire of some parents. I think the validity of his statement is all about timing. When it is your child involved, you see things differently than when it is the neighbour’s kid. When you are the victim, you see things differently than when you are the parent of the accused.

I can honestly say that when it comes to copping and parenting, I think the latter was a tougher gig. I won’t bore you with my errors, but I did learn some important things about parenting while I was involved in police work. Many of the local residents have heard me say these things before, but bear with me once more.

There is no way a cop, or even a teacher has as much direct influence on a child as a parent. Simple as that. If you do dope, your kid is going to do dope. If you drink to excess, so will your kids. If you don’t like the police, the school administration, or any form of authority, guess what? If you lie to the police, or commit perjury to protect your children, what exactly do you think you have taught them?

I am in no way referring to the interference of a child’s legal rights. Although I was a policeman my entire adult life, I believe in the Charter with all my heart. (The good cops do). My grandfather and father are both wounded veterans of the two World Wars to ensure we are a free society. Accused people have access to legal council who will ensure the process is fair and proper, and the legal community in Alberta is very ethical and good at what they do.

But I have always wondered how parents can send, and sometimes even drive their underaged children with liquor they have purchased to a bush party where history tells them someone will be assaulted, become the victim of a theft or even a sexual offence, and leave them there unsupervised, yet they insist on being present when their children are in a police station. The biggest fear they have of the police in Canada is that their children may actually tell a truth that is incriminating.

If my experience in service to the public tells me anything, I know that we do not want harsher laws governing our children and property crimes. I know that because it won’t only apply to the neighbour’s kid. It won’t only apply to the youth that made you a victim. It will apply to your children as well. Everybody has a story and normal citizens would be shocked at the story some of these young offenders have lived. I know that kids already have friends. They need parents.

If it takes a village to raise a child, all of us have to take some responsibility for the crime wave we are experiencing. And we should also take time to say thank you to our educators, youth workers of various faiths and cops like Cst. Kenny, who has been working in the schools and coaching youth in hockey since his arrival to our town.

Iain McLean

Rimbey