EDMONTON (CP) - Wiebo Ludwig was the defendant, but many times it

seemed the RCMP were the ones on trial.

Eight weeks of testimony at Ludwig's oilpatch vandalism trial raised

repeated questions about a police force relying on tired, outdated equipment

and in danger of taking bids on its integrity.

But it's not the first time. The Ludwig trial revealed only the latest example of

a national icon so stretched that it sometimes no longer even tries to get its

The trial sputtered to a close Thursday with allegations of abuse of process

and 10 charges against Ludwig and friend Richard Boonstra abandoned

along the way for lack of evidence.

During the investigation, energy companies victimized by repeated vandalism

in northwestern Alberta grew so frustrated by the slowness of RCMP

response that they helped set up a community group they could use to funnel

Journalist Paul Palango has written two books on the ailing RCMP and the

and photos of burning wellhead in Ludwig's possession. Defence says

developments of the Ludwig trial didn't surprise him, either.

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Approximate Word count = 3619
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)