Latest news with #guncrime
CBC
16-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Winnipeg police to assist with firearms crime investigations across Manitoba with expanded gun lab
The Winnipeg Police Service says it is expanding its firearms analysis unit to help police services across Manitoba with gun crime investigations. Winnipeg's existing firearms investigative analysis section lab hopes to begin receiving firearms from across Manitoba by the end of the year, Deputy Chief Cam Mackid said at a news conference on Friday. The province is spending $3.2 million per year on the project, with an additional $442,000 to renovate the existing firearms investigative analysis section lab at the police service's headquarters, adding new equipment, infrastructure and staff. A provincial spokesperson told CBC News the expansion will eventually establish a firearms lab in its own building. The timeline to establish the stand-alone gun lab is yet to be determined, the spokesperson said. The location and total cost is unknown at this time. This announcement comes nearly two years after the previous Progressive Conservative government committed an initial $5.2 million to establish a provincial gun lab headquartered at the Winnipeg Police Service, with an annual operating budget of $3.1 million. CBC News reached out to the province to clarify whether Friday's announcement is a recommitment or new funding, but hadn't received a response by 4 p.m. Friday. Mackid, who oversees the police force's homicide unit and its drugs and gangs unit, said he sees the impact of gun violence "on a daily basis," as a third of all homicides in the city were related to firearms. "As an investigator in the major crimes unit for many years, I've personally seen innocent, hard-working citizens lose their lives to gun violence, through senseless robberies and other crimes," Mackid said. Last year, Winnipeg police received 2,600 firearms-related calls for service and seized more than 1,400 guns — nearly half of which were "crime guns," Mackid said, or guns directly linked to crime, such as robberies, shootings and homicides. Since 2020, Winnipeg police have used the integrated ballistic identification service to process images of used shell casings. Mackid said these casings are "much like fingerprints" and can be used to connect a single firearm to multiple crimes through the Canadian Integrated Ballistic Identification Network, a Canada-wide database that stores digital images of expended cartridge casings. Having in-house access to this system has reduced wait times for results from a year to less than three days, Mackid said. Before this, cases ran the risk of running cold, as requests had to be sent to the RCMP's national forensic laboratory service, which is "very backed up" with these types of investigations, Mackid said. "If it comes in a day or three days after the fact, we can communicate with our partners in different jurisdictions and hit the ground running and make those links very quickly," Mackid said. Other Canadian municipal police forces, including Saskatoon and Edmonton, have announced similar gun labs to serve their respective provinces. With the new funding, Winnipeg police will receive and process spent cartridge casings for all provincial gun crimes investigations from police services across Manitoba. Police said they hope the shift will lessen strain on the RCMP's forensic lab service and make investigations in the province more efficient. The Brandon Police Service said it "fully supports" expanding Winnipeg's firearms analysis lab to serve forces across Manitoba. "Tackling illegal firearms and reducing gun violence is a shared priority, and we strongly welcome the province's investment in enhancing public safety," Brandon police Chief Tyler Bates said in a statement to CBC News Friday. "We anticipate this initiative will have a positive impact on addressing criminal activity and improving investigative processes across Manitoba, including right here in Brandon," Bates said. Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said the provincial government is "committed to ending gun violence" and the newly announced funding will help them get there.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Two charged with firearm offences after gun fired in Rotherham
Two men have been charged with firearms offences after a gun was reportedly fired in Rotherham. South Yorkshire Police were called to an address on Highfield Park, Maltby, just after 22:45 BST on Sunday, to reports of a person making threats with a firearm. An hour later armed officers were called to a second firearms discharge on nearby Hayhurst Crescent, with no injuries reported. Luke Rushforth, 23, of no fixed abode, and Joshua Stevens, 35, of Staffordshire Close, Rotherham, were later arrested and charged in connection with the incident. Both men were remanded in custody and were due to appear before Sheffield Magistrates' Court on were charged with possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger Ch Insp James Horsfield said: "Gun crime has no place in South Yorkshire and it will not be tolerated."Our officers are relentless in investigating reports of incidents involving firearms."Increased patrols by officers will continue in the area over the weekend to provide reassurance to residents." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man charged with larceny of a gun, breaking and entering in Beaufort County
CHOCOWINITY, N.C. (WNCT) — Deputies with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office arrested a man after responding to a home in Chocowinity Monday, May 6, 2025. Law enforcement responded to a homeowner that reported a gun stolen from him. During the investigation, deputies recovered the stolen gun at a home in Chocowinity. They said the suspect had removed the serial number from the gun to prevent identification. Deputies identified the suspect and found him at a home in Craven County near Vanceboro. Devin Thomas Sparks, of Washington, was charged with: Felony breaking and entering Felony larceny of a firearm Felony larceny after breaking and entering Felony obtaining property by false pretense Felony altering/removing serial number of a gun Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
