It’s said that any publicity is good publicity, but the sort we’ve been getting of late is not the kind we’re looking for by any stretch of the imagination.
Events like armed robberies are startling, and jolt us out of our peaceful West Kootenay comfort zone. They instill a helpless sense of urgency among us. If the trend were to continue (Heaven forbid), that sense of urgency could, in time, be replaced by the numb cynicism so familiar in communities like Surrey and Abbotsford.
If there are two possible sources of comfort in the alarming occurence of local serious crime – one of them is the professionalism of our local police. There may as yet be no arrests and no one in custody, but that’s not to suggest the latest forensic procedures are not being combined with energetic manpower to solve the cases.
The other factor that could be seen as encouraging (just a possibility, mind you) is the chance that the same culprit or culprits are behind the rash of robberies, and that the wave will fizzle about the time they’re brought to justice.
In the meantime, it’s not too likely the emergency vehicles with the blue lights will be followed too closely, not by people from this publication, at least. Law enforcement may appreciate information, but any other kind of help is not on their wish list.
If anyone used to complain about dull news days in this cozy corner of the province, let’s hope they can be reacquainted with those familiar doldrums... devoid of certain kinds of ACTION... manhunts, etc. And let’s hope it can happen soon.