After hearing what I consider to be dangerously irresponsible minimization of the risks posed to visitors to the Commons expressed by senior police officers in the media after yet another poor soul was attacked there, my opinion of the Halifax Regional Police dropped pretty low. However, I have been so impressed by the high level of service I have recently received from city police that I felt compelled to pay them a public complement. Although I have rarely had cause to contact the police in the past, two events which took place over the last week prompted me to call (rather than, say, pound out a snappy but ultimately fruitless diatribe for your Bitch column): once, after a manic shopper tried to mow down my husband and me in a parking lot; and for the second time, to file a noise complaint against an overeager construction worker who broke out the heavy machinery before 7am. On both occasions I was treated with tremendous courtesy and efficiency by the dispatchers and the constables who received my calls. They handled my complaints seriously and treated me with respect. If there were more of these officers patrolling the streets and parks of this city, I am confident that we would all feel safer and more secure.
By Z. Roy
