By Thia James

Call for carbines for police gains traction

Mar 12, 2015 | 11:40 AM

Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne’s campaign to give front-line police officers access to carbine firearms is receiving support at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) conference.

On Tuesday, he made his pitch to representatives of rural municipalities attending this year’s conference in Saskatoon in the breakaway groups. He spoke to reeves, councillors and administrators and said the response he received was “very positive.”

“I’ve got unanimous support,” Dionne said later that day. “I haven’t had one person say anything nasty.”

Dionne’s call for change comes after the Prince Albert Board of Police Commissioners – of which he is a member – voted in favour of a motion to arm and train front-line Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) officers with carbines. A carbine is a short-barrelled gun with accuracy similar to that of a rifle. It is also easier to carry than a rifle.

Right now, they are only available to members of the PAPS’ tactical officers, and not front-line responding officers. The “general” officers are only allowed to carry a handgun, a shotgun and a rifle, and only carry a glock – the handgun—on their person. This is in accordance with the regulations that are currently in place.

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The tactical officers store the carbines double-locked in their police vehicles.

In order for front-line officers to get the carbines and the training necessary to use them, the Saskatchewan Police Commission has to approve the change, and then the legislation has to be updated.

The Board of Police Commissioners additionally approved having Dionne lead the charge provincially to seek the rule change.

The province, for its part is ready for the Saskatchewan Police Commission’s decision.

Drew Wilby, executive director of corporate affairs for the ministry of justice said the Saskatchewan Police Commission is holding consultations and that process is still ongoing. He expects it to wrap up soon and the commission will be in a position to make a recommendation.

If the commission approves the use of carbines, the ministry would work with it to change the police equipment regulations.

“But it wouldn’t be, you know,  a very long process once the commission makes their recommendation, if they recommend in favour of the use of carbines,” Wilby said.

If the commission is in favour, then municipal police officers could have them by the end of 2015, or in early 2016. Wilby described this timeline as “doable.”

Corresponding provisions for training could be attached to the regulations, Wilby said. Some of this would depend on what the consultations yield and the recommendations made.

“But, you know, we saw that with Tasers, when controlled energy weapons were allowed to be used. That some training was specific to the use of those tools.”

The Municipal Police Equipment Regulations is broad, and includes provisions covering the kinds of vehicles the officers can use, their decaling, and even the use of spike belts. These regulations fall underneath The Police Act.

A change to the regulations wouldn’t require legislative approval — it would only need an order in counsel from cabinet. This would only apply to municipal – or city – police officers.

RCMP officers, however, have had access to carbines for about a year, Wilby said. This is likely to influence how the ministry reacts to the provincial police commission’s recommendations.

“We allow one of our police forces to use the carbines already … and that was joint work with the federal government, of course, Public Safety Canada. There is an application right now in the province, of course.”

And the City of Prince Albert has been waiting for the regulations to change since 2010. Dionne said that was when money was set aside for carbines in the PAPS budget.

He hopes they never have to be used.

“But if we do, I want them beside them and available so they can protect their lives and the lives of the citizens of Saskatchewan.”

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames