I’ve lived in Canada for 4.5 years and I’ve had to call them twice to where I live(d) in Etobicoke.

Once I was out for a late night smoke and witnessed a robber coming out the facade windows of the corner store with the till drawer in his arms - He ran right past me and I called them. They insisted I stay with them but offered me a seat in the car for heat and a smoke break in the middle before they could take a report. The officer was incredibly nice and reassuring.

Second time I got physically assaulted again in front of my building on my way in late at night, by a mentally deranged woman who kicked in the glass by the entrance door and picked up a shard and tried to crawl in to get at me. The cops that showed up seemed inconvenienced and where quite terse.

All in all it’s always gonna be a mixed bag but I grew up in an incredibly safe little corner of the world and I’ve come to understand how much of polices role is as a deterrent.

We shouldn’t get rid of them but fuck me do they get a disproportionate slice of the pie.