The Guardian Angels are a self-styled “international safety organization” founded in New York City in 1979 by a group of citizens intent on helping the NYPD rid the streets of crime. GA members patrol city streets wearing trademark red berets and attempt to make citizens’ arrests if they see a crime in progress. This hands-on approach to law enforcement has been met with praise and scorn as the group has opened chapters in New Zealand, South Africa, Britain, and elsewhere. A Toronto chapter folded in 1984 after two years, and a return to Parkdale in 1992 was short-lived due to public protest. The current chapter began patrols in July, 2006, but is currently on the brink of bankruptcy.

Current mayor David Miller and Police Chief Bill Blair oppose a Guardian Angels presence on Toronto’s streets as a solution to gang violence, while mayoral candidate Jane Pitfield has expressed support for the group. Our writers debate whether the Guardian Angels are a good fit for Toronto.

The Guardian Angels would be a welcome addition to a city whose police force has been plagued by controversy for so many years. The scandals surrounding the Toronto Police have been a constant news item, most notably with the alleged beating and robbing of suspects by 11 former members of the Toronto drug squad, six of whom now face criminal charges.

But apart from all of the scandals and corruption, Toronto residents should ask themselves whether or not the Toronto Police are doing a satisfactory job in protecting our city. The recent rise in gun violence in Toronto is undeniable, as is the obvious need for reinforcements to help keep Toronto safe. The 2005 Boxing Day shooting of Jane Creba was the spark that brought about the creation of the Guardian Angels’ Toronto chapter.

Any reluctance to accept the Guardian Angels’ presence in Toronto can be attributed to a lack of public awareness about the goals of the organization. The Guardian Angels do not wish to replace the Toronto Police, but instead seek to provide an increased level of safety as they patrol Toronto’s streets.

They are also not a dangerous group of vigilantes attempting to take the law into their own hands. The Alliance of Guardian Angels has existed for 27 years, and consists of chapters in a multitude of countries worldwide. The organization is expanding rapidly, and planning has already begun to start new chapters in Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.

Simply put, Toronto will be better off with more people actively involved in protecting the safety of the public, and the Guardian Angels will prove to be a valuable asset as the city continues to strive for this goal. Concerned citizens should visit the Guardian Angels’ official website at www.guardianangels.org, to learn more about the goals of this organization, and to familiarize themselves with our city’s newest line of defense.

  • Rob Duffy

A big red ‘X’ should be put over this inane idea, which is, at best, a rosy take on crime reduction and prevention. The Guardian Angels’ trademark “Street Safety Patrol” program fails to convince me that Toronto’s increasingly violent streets will actually be safer because of the group’s presence.

With the culture of the gun that exists today, are we to honestly think that after seeing the bright red beret, a criminal will shake in terror and flee the other way? What’s to say a criminal won’t shoot at the Guardian Angel, potentially injuring innocent bystanders, just to get rid of the red-bereted irritant once and for all?

What if, during a mugging, when the mugger simply wants his/her victim’s money, the good ol’ Guardian Angel compounds the problem by intervening, leading to a struggle in which the patroller or the victim is seriously injured, or killed? Law enforcement officials often warn a mugging victim to throw their belongings towards the thief and flee as quickly as possible, since money and credit cards can be replaced, but human life cannot.

With the presence of this so-called “police force,” the above-mentioned situations could be made more violent and tragic. The danger to the public is compounded by the fact that Guardian Angels aren’t suppose to carry any type of weapon, while the criminal will usually have one.

Rather than decreasing the crime rate, a Guardian Angels presence in Toronto would increase it, and the police would have more work on their hands.

I say, let crime be curbed by law-enforcement officials doing their jobs, by politicians devising tougher laws, and judges handing out strict punishments for violent crime. Civilian groups like the Guardian Angels can better spend their energy and resources in their communities by improving education and crime prevention initiatives.

  • Ilham Alam