1 Firearms and Community-Based Policing

2  Introduction  Roles  Opportunity areas  eg. Domestic Violence  eg. Illicit Trafficking  Tools  Next Steps

3 ROLES FOR POLICE  Identify risks (eg. domestic violence, youth violence, suicide)  Take preventative action  Enforcement of the law  Investigations  Property handling and storage  Officer safety  Community awareness of problem and solutions

4 Target Audiences  Police Managers prioritize the issue  Trainers provide appropriate support  Investigators need knowledge, tools and support  Front line officers need knowledge, tools and support  Specialists eg. community policing, youth crime, domestic violence need to integrate guns into strategies

5 OPPORTUNITY AREAS  increase awareness of gun problem: data and trend analysis (fact-based decisions and interventions)  prioritization of gun problem and integration with community policing to build community “ownership”  taking preventative action - clear procedures: “when in doubt say no”

6  use of tools eg. CFRS  thinking “guns” in all investigations  property handling and storage  better support from community partnerships (eg. risk assessment investigations)  resources and support  better support from justice system

7 DOMESTIC VIOLENCE  1/3 of murders of women by husbands in Canada with guns - 88% long guns  50% killers commit suicide  risk factors: alcohol, financial problems, marital breakdown, mental illness  for every death many threatened  major predictor of femicide is presence of firearm  three inquests (Kassonde, May, Vernon)

8 Success Stories  Licensing process improves risk assessment and includes hotline  Decline in women killed with firearms  Increased awareness of problem and improved procedures

9 NWEST Examples In Western Canada an individual involved in divorce proceedings became upset in a courtroom and later threatened to kill those involved in the proceedings including his spouse, her lawyer and the judge. Police determined that the suspect had recently received a firearms licence and had three handguns registered to him. The investigation led to an arrest and seizure of the guns.  NWEST assisted police in Atlantic Canada when two firearms were seized during an investigation of possible child abuse. The suspect was licensed and had firearms registered. Two firearm charges were laid and a firearms prohibition order is being sought.

10 Best Practices  reporting and record keeping to support licensing and revocation  procedures: determine presence of guns  enforcement: charges, prohibition orders, short term confiscation of gun and license  communications: physicians, shelter worker, community organizations  awareness and access: community engagement and support

11 ILLICIT TRAFFICKING Assessment of the problem is the starting point “Where did they get the gun?” Need macro and micro level data Overall patterns and particular context Sources of information: tracing and investigations

Where do the guns come from?

13 Virtually Every Illegal Firearm Begins As A Legal Firearm  Legal firearms are sometimes misused by their owners (whether civilians or state officials)  Legal firearms are stolen or illegally sold from civilians, dealers, state stockpiles  Illegal firearms are smuggled in from the other countries

14 Sources of Firearms Vary in rural areas rifles and shotguns are most often recovered in crime in large urban centres, handguns are more often recovered more than half of handguns illegally imported from USA guns/drugs/financial crimes interconnected

eg. Crime Involving Firearms in Canada Source: Smuggling work groups; Illegal Movement of Firearms (April, 1995) Proportion of rifles and shotguns recovered in crime is much higher in rural communities

16 Success Stories The registry triggered an investigation of a large and sophisticated smuggling ring in May 2000 in Toronto. Likely destined for the illegal market, nearly 23,000 firearms and their components were seized. (Michelle Sheppard, Toronto Star, May 3, 2000).

17 A prohibited firearm was seized and the firearms registry showed that the gun was registered to a local gun collector. Search warrants were subsequently executed. Police examined close to 400 weapons in the collection, and discovered five unregistered handguns and several rifles. Charges have been laid and the case is before the courts.

18 A homicide squad in Quebec had a suspect in the murder of a police officer under surveillance and subsequently arrested him and conducted a search. They seized a firearm and NWEST traced the firearm to Tennessee. The gun belonged to a truck driver who traveled extensively to Canada and usually brought several guns with him to sell in Canada.

19 Best Practices: Policies  appropriate enforcement of safe storage and licensing and registration all guns traced and records kept  confiscated guns recorded and destroyed  safe storage of police firearms  property audit procedures  cooperation with other agencies

20 Best Practices: Procedures eg. Front Line Police Investigations  Where did you get the gun?  Who else bought guns from your supplier?  What other crime is your supplier into?  does your supplier carry a gun?  Is your supplier violent?  Who else sells guns on the street?

21  Is this gun stolen?  Did you remove the serial number? Who did?  Did you cut down the gun? Who did?  Can you get more guns?  If given money, where would you buy guns right now?  Can you introduce a friend to a supplier?

22 Best Practices Identify “hot spots” eg. ATF tracing project in cooperation with Northwestern University proved that more than 50% of firearms recovered in crime originated from 0.5% of Federal Firearms Licensees Intervention: increased regulation and enforcement closed 50% of FFLs

23 Best Practices Targeted enforcement  Previous research suggested increase in policing produces reduction in crime  eg. Pittsburg targeted high crime neighborhoods Impact  may have reduced shots fired by 34% and gunshot injuries by 71%  $1 invested, up to $5 in savings

24 Best Practices: Community Engagement Eg. Project Trident, Metropolitan London Police  aggressive publicity and outreach program (crime stoppers model) in high crime area  increased homicide clearance rate from 24%- 70%

25 TOOLS Model Policies and Guidelines Training - knowledge, skills, attitudes (CPFO, NWEST, CFC) Procedures - domestic violence, illicit trafficking, property management etc. Support - awareness of CPFO, NWEST etc. Partnerships - focal point, procedures Outreach - integrating firearms into community policing

26 NEXT STEPS  suggestions!  additional examples  language issues  resource materials  contacts