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RCMP to reassign 50 air marshals
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Anti-terror program slashed; Could hamper Canada's ability to meet international commitments: ex-Mountie

By MARIAN SCOTT, The Gazette October 21, 2010

They look just like any other airline passenger, but they are Canadian travellers' last line of defence against a suicide bomber or hijacker.

And soon, there will be 25 per cent fewer air marshals boarding international flights to and from Canada to foil terrorist attacks.

About 50 officers with the Ottawa detachment of the RCMP's Canadian Air Carrier Protective Program (CACPP) learned last week they will be reassigned to other duties due to budget cuts.

"Our members were advised last week that they were eliminating the office in Ottawa," said Gaetan Delisle, president of the Association des membres de la Police Montee du Quebec (AMPMQ), a professional association representing 800 RCMP officers in Quebec as well as francophone officers in other provinces.

About 200 armed and highly specialized RCMP officers pose as ordinary passengers on international flights from Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa under the program, created in 2002 in the wake of the 9-11 bombings.

If this is the first you've heard of it, you're not alone: the terror-fighters keep a low profile for security reasons.
More on link
 
Nope. There was an air marshall program years ago too- it was eventually mothballed.

Then we reacted after 9-11 for a few years.....forget the lessons....mothball the program.

Until the next time someone suggests it could have prevented something
 
Container said:
Nope. There was an air marshall program years ago too- it was eventually mothballed.

Then we reacted after 9-11 for a few years.....forget the lessons....mothball the program.

Until the next time someone suggests it could have prevented something

Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.
 
Didn't know the Mounties had that many other people of roughly deputy commissioner rank ;D.

Mark
Ottawa
 
Its actually funny you mentioned that we JUST created two new deputy commissioners positions....
 
Jim Seggie said:
Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

You worded it perfectly, without learning from our mistakes we fall back into the same patterns and routines that put Canadians and others abroad at risk.

Mike
 
"The chance of them being on a flight when anything actually happens is statistically insignificant," said Laird, a former security director for Northwest Airlines who now heads the security firm Laird & Associates.

This is what came to mind for me.


And did we "react" to 9-11 with the expectation an attack would actually be prevented, or do these positions simply look good in the eyes of the public?
 
derekreid said:
This is what came to mind for me.


And did we "react" to 9-11 with the expectation an attack would actually be prevented, or do these positions simply look good in the eyes of the public?

Then explain to the public why an air marshall was not on board when it happens. You and I know that an air marshall on board may prevent nothing from happening, but....their presence soothes the flying public.
 
The air marshalls have a very specific and significant skill set. They are involved in more than just sitting on an airplane waiting for terrorists, that being said- it is the majority of their function.

If we are concerned about police officers with "insignificant" work functions I can think of thousands that should be axed and moved back to the street before the air marshall program. Its an "oh shit " function- they arent kept around because they are used often they are around because they may be used. Its a very small unit on a grand scale- keeping the skill set around has benefits.
 
Welcome to the 'fight deck': Air Marshals still updating their training 17 years after 9/11,
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/in-flight-rcmp-officer-training-1.4604520
 
Do your job well and nobody notices, then you get laid off, bad things happen and the powers to be say: "how could this happen?" repeat as required....
 
Rather than cancel such a program, we'd be better off expanding it to include other public venues that may be the subject of terrorist attacks like ferries, trains, large sporting events, and even schools and colleges.....
 
D&B,

While I would support your suggestion from a public safety/tactical perspective, from a moral (not the right word, I know, but my brain isn't functioning today no matter what I seem to do) - I think that would lead to a "police state" grey area. 

Not disagreeing with you from a public safety perspective.  But perhaps that is already being done by RCMP/CSIS surveillance assets, if a certain someone is being watched or suspected of being a threat.  (In conjunction with local law enforcement surveillance units.)
 
CBH99 said:
D&B,

While I would support your suggestion from a public safety/tactical perspective, from a moral (not the right word, I know, but my brain isn't functioning today no matter what I seem to do) - I think that would lead to a "police state" grey area. 

Not disagreeing with you from a public safety perspective.  But perhaps that is already being done by RCMP/CSIS surveillance assets, if a certain someone is being watched or suspected of being a threat.  (In conjunction with local law enforcement surveillance units.)

Yup, probably way out of my lane, but always happy to see the 'Pond Life' take a bullet to the face before he gets to the Middle School ;)
 
LunchMeat said:
The RCMP Air Marshal program is provided to Canadian Air Carriers. The MP Air Marshal Detail deals with providing security to the Prime Minister and Government Officials, Dignitaries onboard GoC aircraft abroad while conducting government business.

Tactical Aircraft Security Officers fly with Military Aircraft into zones where security is inadequate, nonexistent, or unknown. They provide security to the Aircraft, the Aircrew, assist with maintaining passenger discipline and providing additional security for detainee transports. They protect the aircraft from sabotage, attack, and prevent stowaways. TASO are a combat function, something the RCMP don't do.

RCMP is suspending it's Air Marshal program and reassigning the officers.
 
LunchMeat said:
That article was from 2010. The program is still very much alive.

And according to the article in Reply #10, as of Apr 07, 2018, the program was still very much alive.

Colin P said:
RCMP is suspending it's Air Marshal program and reassigning the officers.

Unless Colin knows something we don't know?

 
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