The tragedy in Nova Scotia should teach us all key lessons

OTTAWA—In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I joined the crowd watching Netflix. One series I found compelling was Mindhunter, a true story about the behavioural sciences unit set up by the FBI in the 1970s to profile serial killers. The unit’s purpose was to stop serial murders by identifying the personality traits of suspects. In order to do so, the unit interviewed notorious murderers like Richard Speck and David Berkowitz. The psychological profile they developed had many points in common: loners with an obsession for police work, who were violent with women, meticulous, and took pleasure in killing. The unit was successful in several cases, by identifying killers before they sought out more victims. That profile is eerily similar to the killer in the Nova Scotia murders last week. We know Garbriel Wortman had an arsenal of weapons, a replica police car, and a police uniform. However, in the news media, the killer is described as a “nice guy who snapped.” This is absurd: he planned this rampage, had a violent temper, was estranged from his parents, and was a misogynist. His friends knew of his illegal guns, his replica police car, and illegal uniform. These were red flags that should have led police to investigate him. In the inevitable inquiry, there will more than likely be recommendations police develop an inventory of people with these profiles. It is hard to believe, 40 years after the FBI’s breakthrough work, we are not doing something similar. Knowing where the psychopaths are is just as valuable as knowing where the guns are. The public has to get onside as well, in identifying people who may be dangerous. Second, we have to stop kidding ourselves about our emergency response capacity in Canada. It is at least 20 years out of date, and is incapable of managing an emergency or informing the public effectively. Full disclosure, I am a partner in a company that provides emergency management software for municipalities. I am reluctant to comment on this subject for that reason, but frankly, the state of Canada’s systems is pitiful. In Australia, where my parent company is based, police, fire, roadworks, and other operations can be managed while keeping the public informed in real time. In an emergency there, incident management systems are updated in seconds, hundreds of first responders and municipal officials receive text messages, and the public can be informed immediately on a website with thorough information and an electronic map. In an emergency last year in Queensland, this public “Dashboard” received 4.5 million "hits" from the public over a period of three days. And because the operations system is integrated with the Dashboard, information can flow in real time when a fire or flood is threatening, or a killer is on the loose. Canada’s current warning systems are, frankly, of marginal value. For example, in September 2018, the emergency warning that “a tornado would hit Ottawa in the next 30 minutes” was not specific, did not reach everyone, and did not say where in the city’s 2,400 square kilometres a 30-metre-wide tornado might strike. A year later, residents were warned about a tornado after it had passed through and inflicted damage. When discussing emergency management systems in Canada, the frequent response is "we don't need this right now," or "we can’t afford it." The cost is equivalent to buying two police cars a year—not too high a price to save lives. It is time we brought ourselves into the year 2020, instead of relying on outdated systems. In the early 1980s, I worked closely with the RCMP as a ministerial adviser. I was always impressed by their thoroughness and professionalism and I am saddened by the blow to the force’s reputation from this tragedy, and the killings of Mounties in Moncton, N.B., and Mayerthorpe, Alta. But, as anyone in security knows, you are only as good as the training you receive and the technology you have at your disposal. The Nova Scotia killer could have murdered many more people; his rampage ended only because of incredible luck. We have to do more to ensure the public, and our police, are safe. Any inquiry should recommend better training, better profiling, and modern emergency systems technology everywhere in this country. If we don’t learn from this tragedy, it will more than likely happen again. Andrew Caddell is retired from Global Affairs Canada, where he was a senior policy adviser. He previously worked as an adviser to Liberal governments. He is a fellow with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and a principal of QIT Canada. He can be reached at pipson52@hotmail.com. The Hill Times

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The tragedy in Nova Scotia should teach us all key lessons

Any inquiry should recommend better training, better profiling, and modern emergency systems technology everywhere in this country.

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