COLUMNIST LORNE GUNTER SAYS: Here’s a sample posting from the National Post editorial board’s blog (web log). If you haven’t visited the Across the Board blog yet, please surf by sometime:

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/comment/blog/index.html

Come here you little rascal, Ottawa has an affirming message for you

Tuesday, September 21, 2004, Ottawa announced the first $2.1-million instalment in a planned $6.4 million in National Crime Prevention Strategy funding for Ontario. Three things occur: First, this is a drop in the bucket in a province the size of Ontario, if the feds’ true intent is to fight crime. Second, it points out even more starkly, how Ottawa has put all its crime-fighting eggs in the gun registry basket – producing no tangible benefits and tying up money for initiatives that might actually make Canadians safer. And third, from the wording of Tuesday’s announcement, it ain’t exactly clear what any of the soon-to-be-funded strategies are going to do to prevent crime, anyway.

The NCPS, which I think has been around since 1995 and was part and parcel of the registry package, has a group-hug approach to stopping crime, an every-boy-a-good-boy mentality. Just give potential criminals enough affection and positive reinforcement early in life – pump up their little self esteems – and they will be discouraged from taking up with drug gangs or boosting cars.

Uh, huh. Sure.

Community-based policing (walking the beat, more police substations in troubled neighbourhoods) sometimes works to prevent crime. Cracking down on minor street crime (purse-snatching, public intimidation, etc.) really works, because the same criminals who murder and mug also steal handbags, it turns out. And truth in sentencing works: A sentence of 10 years means 10 years, rather than six months in jail, followed by 18 months of pedicures, facials and trips to the mall at taxpayers expense, followed by mandatory release.

But there is no proof “root causes” gushiness accomplishes a thing. And gushiness is what the NCPS is all about. In fact, other than gushiness, it’s not even clear what the Strategy IS about.

Tuesday’s news release explains that “The National Strategy enables the Government of Canada to help communities develop projects and partnerships that will prevent crime from happening. It takes an early-intervention approach to prevention and community safety through the support of grass-roots responses that deal with the underlying causes of crime and victimization; things such as family violence, gang recruitment and substance abuse.” Okay, but how does it deal with these underlying causes? Why by funding “initiatives to strengthen community networks, identify and develop realistic and relevant prevention measures, and support individuals dealing with violence.” So, if I understand that correctly, it will stop crime by attacking the root causes of crime by funding projects that seek to develop relevant measures to attack crime at its roots.

Ah, we’re here, because we’re here, because we’re here, because we’re here.

The NCPS hosts a Cross-Cultural Roundtable on Security and sponsors a Focus on Bullying. Among the 137 projects announced for funding Tuesday is “Creating Harmony - Walking in Peace/Culturally Based Conflict Resolution Training” in Southwold, Ontario; the “R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Project: Improving the Personal Security of Women and Girls in Rural North-eastern Ontario - Phase II.” (Sorry, I missed Phase I.); the “Continental African Canadian Crime Prevention Strategy” in TO, sponsored by the African Canadian Social Development Council; the Burlington Lions Optimist Minor Hockey Association’s “Playing on Ice - Training for Life (Phase II)” (Since Phase I was such a rousing success.); "Carrots and Sticks: Comprehensive Strategies to Address Domestic Violence,” “Daring to Begin,” “Violence Prevention through Humane Education: A Train the Trainer Model,” and on and on like that for eight pages.

The irony is that of the 11 dozen “community-based crime prevention initiatives” funding by Tuesday’s cash, the one the feds chose to highlight at their announcement new conference was one by LovE (Leave Out Violence) to “deliver a curriculum to generate positive relationships between local youth and police and encourage youth to choose positive behaviours rather than resorting to violence,” in Rexdale, in suburban north Toronto, out by Woodbine Racetrack. Then yesterday in Rexdale, a young man was shot dead in the street by two young suspects who fled the scene.

Apparently the pair had not heard the good news about positive behaviours.

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Lorne Gunter

Columnist/Editorial Writer,National Post

Columnist, Edmonton Journal