Hamilton police want to arm front-line officers with rifles

Report says carbines are useful in some high-risk situations

Hamilton police want to buy 26 carbine rifles for its patrol officers — a move that will make it the last of Ontario’s big services to equip front-line police with the weapon.

This is the same high-powered and short-barrelled rifle that the RCMP were convicted of not providing its officers in Moncton after a shooting in 2014 left three Mounties dead.

“While not as prevalent in the Canadian context, active shooter incidents are becoming more frequent,” says a report signed by Chief Eric Girt going to the Hamilton Police Services Board on Thursday.

“The need for police to be able to effectively address the threat of a well-armed individual has been addressed by the courts, which has translated into the adoption of carbines for deployment to front-line officers.”

The report is asking for $95,000 to buy 26 of the Colt C8 rifles and train an initial 48 officers — 16 per division. Police propose the program be run as pilot project to be re-evaluated after a year.

The rifles are considered ideal in an “active shooter” situation because of higher accuracy and longer range. But there have also been questions about whether there is really a need for “militaristic weapons” for patrol officers outside of tactical units.

Hamilton’s tactical officers — the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) — has had access to carbines since 2008, but it’s typically front-line officers who are first at a scene. Right now, ERU has 16 of the weapons of which 15 are the Colt C8 carbines made in Kitchener.

The Hamilton Police Association, the union representing officers, has been pushing for several years to see front-line officers have access without success until now.

Hamilton police declined to comment further on the report before it’s presented to the board, including when asked to explain the change of heart.

All other members of the “big 12” police services in Ontario have carbine rifles for patrol officers.

“This special purpose weapon can be used for perimeter coverage in high-risk scenarios, highrisk vehicle stops, responses to threats at intermediate and longer ranges, as well as encounters with violent criminals known to wear body armour,” says the report.

Hamilton police officers with previous military or tactical unit experience, who are use-of-force qualified and who “have demonstrated above average competency and confidence in weapons handling and judgement” will be considered among the first 48 to be trained. The training lasts four weeks and will happen in groups of 12.