On April 29th, Saanich Police responded to the intersection of McKenzie Ave. and Burnside Rd. West for the report of an intoxicated male in possession of a firearm. When the officers arrived, they located the individual, and noted that he had what appeared to be the handle of a firearm sticking out of his waist band. After a brief interaction he was disarmed and taken into custody without incident. It was only after his arrest that officers had a chance to safely inspect the weapon which was determined to be a replica.
The man was released with a future court date and the condition that he not possess any weapons.
All calls involving firearms create an elevated risk to the public and require a priority response from police. Officers are trained to treat all firearms as real and may not learn it is a replica until hours after the call is concluded. Because firearms cannot be identified quickly from a distance by officers, replicas pose a significant safety risk to the public, those who carry them, and police.
If you own a replica firearm, please leave it at home.
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Jason Hallman | Communications Advisor