By: Denis Williams
As many across this great nation have called for abolishing police forces, I find myself wondering what a world would look like without cops. Perhaps most disturbingly, I wonder what Canada would look like without the tried and true tradition of having an officer skip the line at Tim Hortons.
To me, the only thing that tastes better than a licked boot is a large double-double. Involuntarily surrendering my spot in line so an officer earning twice my salary can receive their third free coffee of the day is a tradition so staunchly Canadian it rivals the Calgary Stampede. Frankly, it’s enough to have a patriot like me flying proudly at half mast.
My fear is that if we abolish police forces altogether, law abiding citizens like myself will be deprived of the simple pleasure of having to stand patiently in line as a uniformed officer marches in, snags the last honey cruller, and leaves without paying.
Sure, by abolishing the police, we could shift funds toward trained mental health professionals and social workers that will no doubt be more qualified and efficient in their handling of mental wellness checks, but I worry these types of workers just don’t have the same kind of brazen entitlement it takes to hop the line, order enough coffee for the entire precinct during the morning rush and then turn around so the rest of us can say thank you.
If we get rid of cops, who else could possibly fill this vital role in our community? No other profession is suitable for such a task because few others are conditioned to see themselves as the gatekeepers of society simply because they finished a 6 month course. Firefighters just put out fires and paramedics just save lives but a police officer must enforce authoritative control over everyone they encounter. That’s exhausting work – they deserve a free coffee or two!
Our brave officers make sacrifices everyday for this beautiful nation and we need them to keep things in order. It’s because of their dedication to skipping the line that we don’t have to worry about gang members skipping the line. We need the good guys to protect us from bad guys doing the exact same thing the good guys are doing.
The point is, defunding the police is a slippery slope that will ultimately lead to us as a society no longer viewing militarized officers as golden demigods for whom rules do not apply and that, frankly, just doesn’t sit right with me.
