Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Paul Battershill death threat
.
My eyes are popping. Even though I've been secretly dreading news that a gun and/or murder had become part of the whole picture of suppression in the Basi Virk / BC Rail Case ... what I can't believe is that such an event happened two years ago ... June 2006. Two years ago, and we didn't even know!
June 2006 is when the trial of Basi-Virk was supposed to begin. That's why this web-site, The Legislature Raids, was established in May 2006 ... because we thought the trial was beginning. We were pretty sure that the public wasn't getting all the news. And we were correct. Since then, it's been one suppression after another.
But this! Was "somebody" threatening to silence Victoria's Chief of Police at that critical point?
I've been googling "Battershill" high and low, without ever seeing this hugely significant news. Nor was the death threat reported (apparently) when it happened -- on June 8, 2006, which was a month prior to Russ Francis writing it up for The Straight. Without seeing this old news item, I couldn't have believed that ALL reporters and ALL media could have been brought on-side to agree on keeping this news quiet.
A thousand questions spring to mind: is Paul Battershill still being guarded or has he been thrown to the wolves? Has the threatener been charged? Or Assessed? Or released? Or tried in a court of law? Who is the threatener?
And isn't it alarmingly interesting that Whoever Decides These Things, felt that then-Chief Battershill himself should be armed and not rely solely upon the protective bodyguards ... leaving the burning question: did the threat come from within police ranks, for heaven sake???
Enough of this.
Isn't it time the media, the bureaucrats and the whole system recognized that there's a public interest here? We need to be included in the business of our province. Just expecting us to shut up and pay the bills doesn't quite cut it anymore. - BC Mary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BUREAUCRAT PACKS HEAT
Straight Talk - July 6, 2006
By Russ Francis
A few eyebrows were raised when Victoria police chief Paul Battershill was appointed acting city manager, effective June 1. A former president of the Vancouver Police Union, Battershill is believed to be the first Canadian police chief to act as a municipality's top bureaucrat. Battershill will devote half his time to the police chief's job, while the other half is spent on city administrative work.
But the most surprising thing about Battershill is that, following a bizarre death threat last month, he wears a concealed handgun, even when sitting in his City Hall office, just a few metres from that of mayor Alan Lowe.
During a June 23 interview with the Straight, Battershill lifted up his jacket, revealing a small bulge under his shirt. “They've asked me to carry a handgun,” Battershill said.
Though he is no stranger to bearing arms, this is the first time he's needed to wear a weapon off-duty. He said it's not something he's entirely comfortable with. “It's a pain in the summer,” he said. “If I want to wear a tennis shirt, what do I do?”
Battershill began carrying the handgun after police learned on June 8 [2006] of a threat to shoot him.
At the time, the Victoria city council was meeting as committee of the whole, with Battershill in attendance. Police rushed Battershill out of the meeting and temporarily locked down City Hall. They also assigned bodyguards to the chief and moved him out of town for a time.
“It was disruptive to the first week, for sure,” Battershill said.
Although a suspect was later arrested, charges have yet to be laid and he is not in custody. [??]
The Victoria police behavioural-sciences unit is now assessing the suspect, Battershill said. During the Straight interview, Battershill repeatedly checked his BlackBerry for updates on the threat.
Battershill led Vancouver police emergency-response teams and ran a serious-crimes strike force. As well, Battershill was a member of then–judge Wally Oppal's 1993 commission of inquiry into B.C. policing.
http://www.straight.com/article/bureaucrat-packs-heat-0
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Special thanks are owed to a much-appreciated Anon-Y-mouse who used magic skills to find this story and to share it with us. - BC Mary.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
My eyes are popping. Even though I've been secretly dreading news that a gun and/or murder had become part of the whole picture of suppression in the Basi Virk / BC Rail Case ... what I can't believe is that such an event happened two years ago ... June 2006. Two years ago, and we didn't even know!
June 2006 is when the trial of Basi-Virk was supposed to begin. That's why this web-site, The Legislature Raids, was established in May 2006 ... because we thought the trial was beginning. We were pretty sure that the public wasn't getting all the news. And we were correct. Since then, it's been one suppression after another.
But this! Was "somebody" threatening to silence Victoria's Chief of Police at that critical point?
I've been googling "Battershill" high and low, without ever seeing this hugely significant news. Nor was the death threat reported (apparently) when it happened -- on June 8, 2006, which was a month prior to Russ Francis writing it up for The Straight. Without seeing this old news item, I couldn't have believed that ALL reporters and ALL media could have been brought on-side to agree on keeping this news quiet.
A thousand questions spring to mind: is Paul Battershill still being guarded or has he been thrown to the wolves? Has the threatener been charged? Or Assessed? Or released? Or tried in a court of law? Who is the threatener?
And isn't it alarmingly interesting that Whoever Decides These Things, felt that then-Chief Battershill himself should be armed and not rely solely upon the protective bodyguards ... leaving the burning question: did the threat come from within police ranks, for heaven sake???
Enough of this.
Isn't it time the media, the bureaucrats and the whole system recognized that there's a public interest here? We need to be included in the business of our province. Just expecting us to shut up and pay the bills doesn't quite cut it anymore. - BC Mary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BUREAUCRAT PACKS HEAT
Straight Talk - July 6, 2006
By Russ Francis
A few eyebrows were raised when Victoria police chief Paul Battershill was appointed acting city manager, effective June 1. A former president of the Vancouver Police Union, Battershill is believed to be the first Canadian police chief to act as a municipality's top bureaucrat. Battershill will devote half his time to the police chief's job, while the other half is spent on city administrative work.
But the most surprising thing about Battershill is that, following a bizarre death threat last month, he wears a concealed handgun, even when sitting in his City Hall office, just a few metres from that of mayor Alan Lowe.
During a June 23 interview with the Straight, Battershill lifted up his jacket, revealing a small bulge under his shirt. “They've asked me to carry a handgun,” Battershill said.
Though he is no stranger to bearing arms, this is the first time he's needed to wear a weapon off-duty. He said it's not something he's entirely comfortable with. “It's a pain in the summer,” he said. “If I want to wear a tennis shirt, what do I do?”
Battershill began carrying the handgun after police learned on June 8 [2006] of a threat to shoot him.
At the time, the Victoria city council was meeting as committee of the whole, with Battershill in attendance. Police rushed Battershill out of the meeting and temporarily locked down City Hall. They also assigned bodyguards to the chief and moved him out of town for a time.
“It was disruptive to the first week, for sure,” Battershill said.
Although a suspect was later arrested, charges have yet to be laid and he is not in custody. [??]
The Victoria police behavioural-sciences unit is now assessing the suspect, Battershill said. During the Straight interview, Battershill repeatedly checked his BlackBerry for updates on the threat.
Battershill led Vancouver police emergency-response teams and ran a serious-crimes strike force. As well, Battershill was a member of then–judge Wally Oppal's 1993 commission of inquiry into B.C. policing.
http://www.straight.com/article/bureaucrat-packs-heat-0
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Special thanks are owed to a much-appreciated Anon-Y-mouse who used magic skills to find this story and to share it with us. - BC Mary.
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Comments:
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This is how organised crime works, with threats! Chiefs of police are not excluded, no one is, when there is the treat of the truth being exposed!
THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS, IS FOR ALL TO EXPOSE THE TRUTH!
THE ONLY WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS, IS FOR ALL TO EXPOSE THE TRUTH!
# posted by 
: September 18, 2008 at 9:08 a.m.
: September 18, 2008 at 9:08 a.m.
.
Anonymous 9:08,
Your comment got me wondering ... and wondering some more.
Do you reckon that organized crime threatens government? Or that organized crime threatens elected people in government? Or that organized crime influences decisions government makes and/or legislation they pass?
Anybody?
.
Anonymous 9:08,
Your comment got me wondering ... and wondering some more.
Do you reckon that organized crime threatens government? Or that organized crime threatens elected people in government? Or that organized crime influences decisions government makes and/or legislation they pass?
Anybody?
.
"Do you reckon that organized crime threatens government? Or that organized crime threatens elected people in government? Or that organized crime influences decisions government makes and/or legislation they pass?"
I reckon that it is a stretch to assume that organized crime and the government in question are actually two different entities! Perhaps if the government in question wasn't so busy hiding stuff (evidence?), Justice Bennett and the rest of the crew that occasionally meet at the Smithe and Robson Law Courts could delineate the boundary between organized crime and our government, then again, maybe there is none and they are one and the same.
I reckon that it is a stretch to assume that organized crime and the government in question are actually two different entities! Perhaps if the government in question wasn't so busy hiding stuff (evidence?), Justice Bennett and the rest of the crew that occasionally meet at the Smithe and Robson Law Courts could delineate the boundary between organized crime and our government, then again, maybe there is none and they are one and the same.
The boss disarmed a robber with a knife when he was off duty some years ago and was in ERT in Vancouver for years, I don't think he was very wooried.
# posted by : September 20, 2008 at 8:49 a.m.
: September 20, 2008 at 8:49 a.m.
ive been looking for news on this for awhile it took me a bit to find but how do you know its organized crime? how do you know its not joe blow from downtown that just knows a whole bunch of people if this is the same situation im thinking of i know the person is not part of organized crime and is not in custody he's living his life with his wife and kids (on van isl) for obv reasons his name and location will not be named
# posted by : May 28, 2009 at 10:16 a.m.
: May 28, 2009 at 10:16 a.m.
.
how do you know its organized crime? how do you know its not joe blow from downtown that just knows a whole bunch of people ... you ask.
How do I know?
I was surprised by your question, as I couldn't recall ever saying that organized crime threatened the Victoria Police Chief.
I re-read the story. And, of course, I hadn't said that at all.
So what's your point here?
.
Post a Comment
how do you know its organized crime? how do you know its not joe blow from downtown that just knows a whole bunch of people ... you ask.
How do I know?
I was surprised by your question, as I couldn't recall ever saying that organized crime threatened the Victoria Police Chief.
I re-read the story. And, of course, I hadn't said that at all.
So what's your point here?
.
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