FIREARMS FACTS UPDATE

NWEST REPORTS TO RCMP INCOMPLETE

INFORMATION COMMISSIONER CONFIRMS

DECEMBER 17, 2003: BREITKREUZ'S ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT REQUEST

Reference is being made to the Department’s response to ATIP File # 1336-A-2003-0109 and the report from the Winnipeg Free Press “Huge gun bust a dud.  Weapons returned to owner after seized arsenal proves legal” dated December 13, 2003. (Copy attached)

As of today’s date, please provide copies of NWEST reports showing:

(1) The total number of warrants that have resulted in charges and the disposition of those charges; and (2) The total number of seized firearms that have been found to be legally owned and the disposition of those firearms.

WINNPEG FREE PRESS: “HUGE GUN BUST A DUD” – December 13, 2003

http://www.cssa-cila.org/garryb/publications/Article413.htm

JANUARY 28, 2004: The RCMP response failed to provide information requested, specifically, information with respect to the “disposition” of the charges and the “disposition” of the firearms – RCMP FILE: 03ATIP-46456

FEBRUARY 5, 2004: BREITKREUZ COMPLAINT TO INFORMATION COMM.

We wish to complain that the RCMP’s response failed to provide the most critical statistics requested; namely: the “disposition of the charges” in our point (1) and the “disposition of the firearms” in our point (2).

The Commissioner of the RCMP and the Minister of Public Safety must have these statistics otherwise they wouldn’t be able to determine if the money being spent on NWEST was or is being spent in a cost-effective manner.

What if the 164 charges laid by police in 2002 and 2003 (with NWEST’s support) were all thrown out of court or the accused found not guilty?  What if the 9,161 firearms seized (with NWEST’s support) in 2002 and 2003 were all returned to their lawful owners?

Without answers to our questions the Minister of Public Safety and the Commissioner of the RCMP are admitting that they have no idea whether NWEST is worth the taxpayers’ money being spent to establish and maintain this support service.

JULY 21, 2004: INFORMATION COMMISSIONER’S FINDINGS

,

On January 28, 2004, the RCMP provided you a report prepared by the Director of NWEST.  On February 5, you complained that the RCMP’s response was incomplete because it did not include the disposition of the charges laid or the disposition of the seized firearms. 

The investigation determined that NWEST has not produced reports demonstrating the disposition of the charges laid as a result of the search warrants executed, or the disposition of the seized firearms in cases where NWEST assisted police agencies.  We concluded our investigation after confirming that NWEST has not presented any reports as you requested to RCMP executives.