Because the 99.99 % of the time an officer is doing their daily run of the mill work like traffic enforcement, report taking, community meetings, the unaware public often complains about the "military like" and "aggressive" dress and armament of officers. Look at the way the public complained in Toronto when the patrol cars were changed to grey- "Too aggressive " they said. That is the kind of issue that upper brass worries about more than plates and rifles. Sad but true.
While in theory it would be nice if all officers could be trained up to a higher tactical standard, be nice and community friendly for 99% of the time and then flip the switch when its go time, it is very unrealistic to expect that. This is amplified when you have small town RCMP cops who can go years before they get a hot call like this. This is one reason when there is a bad shooting in rural areas it is often a difficult situation for the RCMP. . The cops are simply more practiced in a different style of policing. Big city cops are used to dealing with gun calls and large events.
Many people on this board have no idea with the day to day realities of policing. How mundane and administrative it can be, and how it differs from what people think it is like. How many cops make a careers out of being community, fund raising charity types. The "rough and tough " cop is something top brass wants to believe is not needed, and shooting like N.S are the result.
The reality is if front line patrol cops were going around day to day carrying carbines, lvl 4 plates, and ops core helmets, the public and many on this board who be crying about the militant police state. It is necessary to question and examine the shooting in NS to see what can be improved, but I see many members of the public assume they know far more about policing then they actually do. Most have no idea.