Mahon: Railroads should no longer have police forces

In the early days of Canada, Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway were the mammoth undertakings that brought the world’s second largest country together. Rail lines snaked from sea to shining sea. Article content

It became a requirement of the times that the two companies operate their own police forces. The miles and miles of track in the middle of nowhere needed protection. Article content

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And so the rail police were set up and have persisted ever since. These forces are like regular police, carrying weapons, investigating incidents, arresting people and pressing charges.

The only real difference is that they generally do it within 500 meters of railroad property. And they are employed by multi-nationals.

The railroads were sol