TheGunBlog.ca — The RCMP, Canada’s largest police force, is failing to equip and train officers with life-saving AR-15 rifles and body armour, Canada’s Auditor General said today following an audit.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police bought more than 5,000 of the semi-automatic rifles since deciding in September 2011 to make them available to officers for personal and public safety in case of attack, the Ottawa-based Auditor General said.
The RCMP, which offers policing federally, provincially and municipally, agreed with the findings, the report said.
Almost every police cruiser in Canada is equipped with an AR-15 as departments switch away from shotguns, Blue Line magazine reported in December 2017. Opponents of the move view it as the unwarranted militarization of police.
RCMP officers use Colt Canada Corp.’s model C8 version of the AR-15.
Canadian police generally refuse to allow everyone except police to carry firearms for protection.
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Auditor General Comments
From the Press Release
The audit focusing on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) found that officers did not always have access to the hard-body armor and carbines they need to protect themselves and the public. The audit also showed that a lack of planning around the addition of the carbine to the RCMP’s inventory had impacted the maintenance of these semi-automatic rifles and the annual retraining of officers.
From the Full Report
Conclusion: We concluded that the RCMP had not provided all of its officers with access to hard body armour, carbines, and recertification training to respond to an active shooter. The RCMP also did not keep pace with its recertification requirements for pistols, nor ensure that pistols and carbines were properly maintained.
From Twitter
RCMP officers don’t always have the equipment and training they need to protect themselves and the public. #cdnpoli https://t.co/INHjVdbxpM pic.twitter.com/rBHd92qE4f
— Office of the Auditor General of Canada (@OAG_BVG) May 7, 2019
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