It is rare that I write a Letter to the Editor, however, based on the content of the November 19 unsolved homicide article, I feel the need to clarify several points.
It is disappointing that the article brought into question the experience and professionalism of our officers, particularly those in the Major Crime Unit. Our officers are highly trained, and I have the utmost confidence in their abilities. Further, our officers are extremely dedicated, and the investigators in the Major Crime Unit are no exception. They eat, breathe and sleep the homicide and missing person files they are assigned. In fact, they take these cases personally and do everything possible to solve them.
As an organization, we strive to solve every homicide but some are not easily solved. The reality is that some – but certainly not all – homicide victims were involved in the criminal element. Police are dealing with the criminals’ code of silence, which is frustrating for the officers who are putting their hearts and souls into solving these crimes. We need the public’s help. Witness information is the key ingredient required to help solve our unsolved homicides.
What is most disconcerting is the specific information about individual files that was contained in the article. This could very well jeopardize the integrity of those files and open up old wounds for the families involved. We have reached out to the families in question to assure them that work continues on their loved ones’ cases.
Mr. Martin’s contribution to Halifax Regional Police was valuable, however, it is important to note that he has not worked within our organization for four years and since his departure, significant work has been put into those files and numerous leads followed up on, none of which he is privy to as a retired police officer. As a result, some of the information presented in the story is incorrect. Had Mr. Kimber asked us to clarify certain points, we would have set the record straight, which no doubt would have resulted in a more balanced and accurate account of our unsolved homicide files. The simple truth is that all exhibits are accounted for and the RCMP file referenced in the story has been in our possession for many years.
With respect to statistics, they rarely tell the whole story. The nature of crime is such that some years our clearance rates are not where we want them. However, it must be noted that the average clearance rate for murder files in Canada was 70% in 2007 and 69% in 2008; HRM’s clearance rate for the same period was 71% in both years.
Decisions surrounding the scaling back of aspects of major files are neither made lightly nor without consultation with a number of people within the organization and, in some cases, outside the organization. It is easy to criticize management, but it is the role of senior officers to ask the right questions and make difficult decisions. Mr. Kimber relied heavily on one person’s perspective. Mr. Martin obviously did not like the decisions that were made but that does not translate into a given that they were wrong.
Mr. Kimber claims that no one in senior management has any investigative experience. On the contrary, I was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division for 14 years and have investigated many murders and served as the lead investigator on many major criminal investigations locally, nationally and internationally. I take great pride in our organizational experience and assure the public that Halifax Regional Police will continue to pursue every avenue to help solve these crimes.
I would ask that this Letter to the Editor be printed in its entirety so our citizens are privy to a full and balanced picture of the unsolved homicide situation in HRM.
Yours truly,
Frank A Beazley
Chief of Police
Halifax Regional Police
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This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2009.
Well said.
I give The Coast credit for publishing this letter, and shame on Mr. Kimber for a poorly researched and inflammatory article.
Well since Beazley obviously reads the paper, perhaps he’d take a second look at the stupid setup at the MacDonald Bridge checkpoint on Friday around midnight:
Traffic coming from Halifax was blinded by at least two HRP vehicles with flashing headlights sitting in the wrong direction on the Dartmouth side of the toll booths. I was driving a bus and used the far right hand lane and had a hard time seeing the road, cars and people walking around the toll plaza as I came up to it, and I was sitting higher than most car drivers who would have been getting the full effect of these lights. And the cop who walked out in front of the car going through the lane to my left was just lucky… no one could see you against the dark pavement and light show.
Hopefully the chief and bridge commission staff make a few minor changes for everyone’s safety next time they set up.
I expect Mr. Kimber will be getting a lot more traffic tickets and parking violations. They take care of their own, at least.
As a person who use to be involved in Law Enforcement I would like to make the following observations about Mr. Kimber’s letter and Chief Beazley’s response:
Chief Beazley mentions the high “clearance rate” that the HRP have with homicides.
This is deceiving. The clearance rate does not mean that the person(s) responsible have been arrested or even that they are for certain the ones involved in the crime. Although a certian criteria must be met, the clearance rate designation simply means that the Police THINK that they know who committed the crime and what their motive was.
Mr. Martin has good intentions but I believe that he became too consumed with certain cases. I say that because although we want the officer to take it personally to a certain extent in order to go the extra mile and solve the case, there is a fine line that one can easily cross and then become ineffective.
The HRP, like most any other organization with several employees and a “chance to climb the ladder” has inter-office politics.
Law Enforcement is a very important job that requires both scrutiny and more praise.
Chief Beasley did the right thing by responding to this poorly researched article. Mr. Kimber should know better than to write an article about HRP homicide investigations without speaking with someone who still works at HRP. And he is a King’s journalism prof?! I’m not knowledgeable enough to comment on their investigations or success rates (even after reading Mr. Kimber’s piece), but I know enough to not speak without having all the facts.
Mr. Kimber – Ask Chief Beazley what Homicides he was team leader on or better yet get him to clarify what he means by have investigated many murders???
Let’s go with the known:
Let’s look at HRP’s Leaders who actually worked a full homicide file as the Primary / File Co-ordinator or Team Leader or if you weren’t one of these then I say you Never worked a Homicide:
Chief Beazely – Never worked Homicide, Worked Intelligence back in 80’s
Deputy Chief Burbridge – Never worked a Homicide or in CID (Criminal Invest. Division)
Deputy Chief McNeil – Never worked a Homicide or CID
Supt Sykes – Never worked a Homicide – worked drugs back in the 80’s
Supt Falkenham – Never worked a Homicide – Never worked CID as a Contable / Det.
Supt Burns – Never worked a Homicide – worked drugs back in the 80’s
Supt Moore – Never worked a Homicide – worked drugs / Criminal Intelligence
Supt Spicer – Never worked a Homicide – never workeed in CID
Supt Kelly – Never worked a Homicide – Ident officer for crime Scenes
Supt McLean – Never worked a Homicide – worked General Investigations Section
Supt McNeil (D/C McNeil’s Brother – Never worked a Homicide -short stint in Drugs 90’s
Supt Perrin – THE ONLY ONE TO WORK A HOMICIDE / MAJOR CRIME
Insp Murray – Never worked a Homicide –
Demoted SUPT. Hartlen – THE ONLY ONE TO BE A TEAM LEADER I.C. OF HOMICIDES / HOMICIDE UNIT.
So I guess it’s like having all these Ship Captain’s that have never been to sea…..no wonder the ship is sinking!
I am Andrea King’s mother Mrs. Ann King, victim of homicide in January 1992. I do not have knowledge of Mr. Kimbers facts but I think it is worth noting the following. During the year long search for our daughter both the police and the press were extremely sensitive, and helpful. I could find not find fault. Once our daughter’s remains were found and it became a homicide file, I was constantly in touch with our officers from the RCMP and Halifax city police. In my limited knowledge of investigative procedures, I was confident that all was done that was possible. For the last eighteen years I have been in touch with the police, and continue to have open conversations with officers working the case. Of course some of the facts have to be considered when there is a homicide case. Not all facts are given to press or to the families, understandably. There were, in our case, many circumstances hindering the solving of this case. Andrea was not found for 11months ….her remains was scattered, and possessions found some distance away from her remains. All of these facts and more didn’t help the investigators come to a solution.
I have asked for, and received photos of some of her possessions found at the scene, so I have no reason to suspect that the file is incomplete. In the event that anything is uncovered that warrants checking out, police have always been very thorough and quick to respond.
Mr. Kimber do not be too harsh on our police force when articles such as this appear it only causes families of the victims to become worried, and it is already painful enough without doubting the only hope we have of closure (whatever that means!)
I am available for further comment via email. amk43@shaw.ca