Dear editor,
“Mentally ill person shot by police” scream the headlines.
I haven’t been following the inquest into the death of Paul Boyd on Aug. 13, 2007, all that closely, but I am disturbed with one of the conclusions. Police are being told that they should be taking more training to deal with the mentally ill.
The mentally ill require specialized medical services. It isn’t the police officer’s job. Police shouldn’t be the “meat in the sandwich” in this story.
This story begs the question, by how much have services for the mentally ill been reduced in B.C.? What services should have been available to Boyd but weren’t due to cuts in health care services for the mentally ill?
Who is really responsible for Boyd’s death? People other than the police should be squirming this holiday season, not celebrating.
Who bears responsibility is the kind of question that should be addressed by the mainstream media and in the political arena. Sad that it isn’t.
Sad, too, that many others are suffering due to mental illness for which they are not receiving services. Cliff Boldt,
Courtenay