I am deeply saddened by what happened today at the Maniwaki courthouse; a special constable shot a young man who was resisting arrest in the head.
The special constable in question was not alone. He was accompanied by at least four of his colleagues who were perfectly capable of controlling the individual without using a firearm.
The Independent Investigation Office is on site, but I can already tell you that special constables are not sufficiently trained to carry firearms.
After only 12 weeks of training at the police academy, special constables have the power to arrest, intervene physically and carry a firearm during their duties.
This tragedy could have been prevented with better training. The status quo is unacceptable. Carrying firearms for security related jobs needs to be strongly regulated.
Alex Tyrrell
Leader of the Green Party of Quebec
Video of the incident: http://bit.ly/2GzNVvR
