Policing in Canada has progressed since the Code of Hammurabi in 1200 BC. The first police force was founded, and organized by Sir Robert Peel, where he came up with nine principles that police officers should follow (Griffiths, 2015). One of these principles were that “police [should] maintain public favour by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service, not by catering to public opinion” (Griffiths, 2015, p. 29). As a result, police officers should not be affected by the opinions of the power groups or the government. However, this is not the case. The radical perspective looks at the police as a tool that the government, and power groups use in order to conceal the resistance, and maintain the same dominant ideas (Griffiths, 2015).
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They have resisted the change advocated by members of society, which supports the notion that they are being used instrumentally by the government. This is exemplified by one of the biggest protest in Canada: the G20 Summit. This protest resulted in the largest mass arrest in Canadian History (Griffiths, 2015). The Black Bloc was arrested for destroying property on June 26th, 2010 (Monaghan & Walby, 2012). Most of the charges were discharged or remained without reason. It was reported that there was an excessive amount of misused force used on these civilians; which led to over 400 complaints from protesters, and citizens that were not part of the protest (Griffiths, 2015). Many of the arrests or searches violated the Charter of Rights, and Freedom. Thus, the RCMP should not have attempted to search or arrest over 1,100 people. The government used the police to control the protest, but many of the arrests were unlawful. In addition, the RCMP tried to infiltrate many activist groups, and had surveillance on activist groups during the G20 Summit (Griffiths, 2015). As a result, the government used the police as a tool to keep protests from forming, and to repress the …show more content…
Police officers have a image that they are always helpful, and will help find justice in any situation. In the study by Ruck, and Wortley (2002), they found that Black students perceived discrimination from the police officers at school, thirty-two times more likely than White students (p. 192). This is because Black students or other minorities perceive discrimination from the criminal justice system. This demonstrates the way citizens view police. It explains that the way police mistreated minorities in the past, still exists in the minds of the minorities. Different groups of minorities will feel that the government is trying to suppress them. If the people perceive discrimination from the police, they will not trust or obey the police. The police must have legitimacy before citizens will listen to them. Hence, the discrimination, and repression the government forced upon minority groups in the past still affects the way police treat certain
They have resisted the change advocated by members of society, which supports the notion that they are being used instrumentally by the government. This is exemplified by one of the biggest protest in Canada: the G20 Summit. This protest resulted in the largest mass arrest in Canadian History (Griffiths, 2015). The Black Bloc was arrested for destroying property on June 26th, 2010 (Monaghan & Walby, 2012). Most of the charges were discharged or remained without reason. It was reported that there was an excessive amount of misused force used on these civilians; which led to over 400 complaints from protesters, and citizens that were not part of the protest (Griffiths, 2015). Many of the arrests or searches violated the Charter of Rights, and Freedom. Thus, the RCMP should not have attempted to search or arrest over 1,100 people. The government used the police to control the protest, but many of the arrests were unlawful. In addition, the RCMP tried to infiltrate many activist groups, and had surveillance on activist groups during the G20 Summit (Griffiths, 2015). As a result, the government used the police as a tool to keep protests from forming, and to repress the …show more content…
Police officers have a image that they are always helpful, and will help find justice in any situation. In the study by Ruck, and Wortley (2002), they found that Black students perceived discrimination from the police officers at school, thirty-two times more likely than White students (p. 192). This is because Black students or other minorities perceive discrimination from the criminal justice system. This demonstrates the way citizens view police. It explains that the way police mistreated minorities in the past, still exists in the minds of the minorities. Different groups of minorities will feel that the government is trying to suppress them. If the people perceive discrimination from the police, they will not trust or obey the police. The police must have legitimacy before citizens will listen to them. Hence, the discrimination, and repression the government forced upon minority groups in the past still affects the way police treat certain