Burnaby Mounties did a good job keeping their cool in the face of a stream of verbal abuse from a group of males setting off fireworks on Halloween night, according Burnaby RCMP’s second in command.
Supt. Chuck McDonald spoke to media Monday about a video circulating on Facebook that shows a group of men swearing at and insulting local RCMP officers.
Screenshot/Facebook video
The incident took place at Imperial Street and McPherson Avenue at about 12:15 a.m., on Nov. 1, according to RCMP.
Two Mounties on patrol located a group of ten males setting off fireworks, police said.
One of the men said he had a permit but, when asked to produce it, failed to do so.
He then became verbally abusive, according to police.
Outnumbered, the two Mounties called for back-up, and the responding officers were also met with verbal abuse that was recorded on video and then posted online.
A total of seven officers eventually responded.
The video has gotten a lot of attention, much of it supportive of the RCMP.
“It’s unfortunate that these individuals felt they could engage with police officers in this manner and I am proud of each and every responding Burnaby member,” McDonald said. “They were calm and professional in ensuring the issue was resolved safely and did not escalate.”
No arrests were made, and all the Mounties are shown leaving at the end of the video with the group of men taunting them.
When asked if he was worried about the message that sent after so much disrespect being shown toward law enforcement officials, McDonald said no.
“Not at all,” he told the NOW. “Our focus in this situation was on de-escalating and ensuring everyone’s safety. That is precisely what our police officers did.”
