Read Online No Easy Ride: Reflections on My Life in the RCMP by Ian Parsons - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ian Parsons
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considered good relations with local police to be paramount, so their cooperation was a valuable tool. If off-duty employees created problems for the police, a well-placed word with the tool push would send the worker packing. Drill crews were aware of this and avoided confrontations with police during their sometimes raucous off-duty activities. Unexecuted warrants for transient rig employees were received from all parts of Canada, so regular patrols were made to the rigs to ensure fugitives were not part of the workforce. RCMP members were always welcomed on the rig site and often treated to a much-appreciated meal while conducting these patrols.
A major provincial highway crossed the town and detachment area, bringing many transients into Willmore. Constable Kenneth Giblin, one of the members of the highway patrol, possessed an uncanny ability to detect crime and criminals. As a result, he was often at the centre of potentially dangerous incidents. Highway patrol members routinely work alone and often find themselves far from backup. Most of them are acutely aware of the risks and use care and discretion when they find themselves in vulnerable positions. Giblin was fearless under any circumstances and seemed to have an invisible shield of protection. This was evident one night when he stopped two men driving down the highway. They looked nervous, so Giblin examined the car more thoroughly. Under the driver’s seat, he discovered a sawed-off, double-barrelled shotgun, with two rounds in the firing chambers. Giblin arrested both men for possession of an illegal firearm. They each received sentences of six months in prison. Unhappy with the penalty, they appealed their sentence, at which time the appeal court doubled their incarceration to one year.
A short time later, we received a bulletin describing two American men sought for a recent murder. The armed fugitives were considered two of the most dangerous individuals at large in the northern USA and could be heading our way. Constable Giblin spotted a vehicle with American licence plates travelling through the area. After pulling the vehicle over and seeing two male occupants, he sensed danger and drew his revolver when he approached. Giblin saw drug paraphernalia inside the car, so with his gun still drawn, he handcuffed one man to the steering wheel. During the process, the other man tried to jump the constable. He was soundly smacked by the barrel of an RCMP .38 Special revolver and then handcuffed. Giblin then turned to the other culprit, who viciously kicked him. The constable released his assailant from the steering wheel, and the man was suddenly confronted by what he later referred to as a maniac in a Stetson hat. His only recollection was being knocked senseless and waking up in handcuffs. The pair was transported to the detachment, where a more thorough search uncovered an arsenal of illegal weapons in the vehicle. The fugitives were returned to the US and stood trial for three counts of murder. Giblin’s bravery proved that the spirit of resoluteness and confidence displayed during the early years of the Force still lived on.
I had only been in the field for a few months when I was dispatched to my first sudden death. It was the dead of winter when a call was received from a concerned citizen who had not seen his neighbour for some time. The missing person was a solitary trapper who lived in an isolated cabin some miles from the nearest habitation. The temperature hovered around -30°F when I headed out to investigate. I approached the cabin at dusk and found a set of tracks leading off into the bush. Following the trail, I found the missing man lying dead beside a small lake. The circumstances were not suspicious, and the victim appeared to have died of natural causes while inspecting his trap line. I returned to the police car to contact the detachment via police radio. The corporal explained that the coroner had been informed but would not attend since the
A major provincial highway crossed the town and detachment area, bringing many transients into Willmore. Constable Kenneth Giblin, one of the members of the highway patrol, possessed an uncanny ability to detect crime and criminals. As a result, he was often at the centre of potentially dangerous incidents. Highway patrol members routinely work alone and often find themselves far from backup. Most of them are acutely aware of the risks and use care and discretion when they find themselves in vulnerable positions. Giblin was fearless under any circumstances and seemed to have an invisible shield of protection. This was evident one night when he stopped two men driving down the highway. They looked nervous, so Giblin examined the car more thoroughly. Under the driver’s seat, he discovered a sawed-off, double-barrelled shotgun, with two rounds in the firing chambers. Giblin arrested both men for possession of an illegal firearm. They each received sentences of six months in prison. Unhappy with the penalty, they appealed their sentence, at which time the appeal court doubled their incarceration to one year.
A short time later, we received a bulletin describing two American men sought for a recent murder. The armed fugitives were considered two of the most dangerous individuals at large in the northern USA and could be heading our way. Constable Giblin spotted a vehicle with American licence plates travelling through the area. After pulling the vehicle over and seeing two male occupants, he sensed danger and drew his revolver when he approached. Giblin saw drug paraphernalia inside the car, so with his gun still drawn, he handcuffed one man to the steering wheel. During the process, the other man tried to jump the constable. He was soundly smacked by the barrel of an RCMP .38 Special revolver and then handcuffed. Giblin then turned to the other culprit, who viciously kicked him. The constable released his assailant from the steering wheel, and the man was suddenly confronted by what he later referred to as a maniac in a Stetson hat. His only recollection was being knocked senseless and waking up in handcuffs. The pair was transported to the detachment, where a more thorough search uncovered an arsenal of illegal weapons in the vehicle. The fugitives were returned to the US and stood trial for three counts of murder. Giblin’s bravery proved that the spirit of resoluteness and confidence displayed during the early years of the Force still lived on.
I had only been in the field for a few months when I was dispatched to my first sudden death. It was the dead of winter when a call was received from a concerned citizen who had not seen his neighbour for some time. The missing person was a solitary trapper who lived in an isolated cabin some miles from the nearest habitation. The temperature hovered around -30°F when I headed out to investigate. I approached the cabin at dusk and found a set of tracks leading off into the bush. Following the trail, I found the missing man lying dead beside a small lake. The circumstances were not suspicious, and the victim appeared to have died of natural causes while inspecting his trap line. I returned to the police car to contact the detachment via police radio. The corporal explained that the coroner had been informed but would not attend since the
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