PRINCE GEORGE, BC: In response to increasing complaints of violence and violent behaviour in the downtown core, Prince George RCMP’s Downtown Safety Unit spent a week seizing weapons they located on people in the area…

“The intention of the weapons display is to make citizens aware of what is being possessed by some people in the downtown core, and to act accordingly in regard to their personal safety,” states Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, Media Relations Officer for the Prince George RCMP.

Among the weapons seized were 4 bats, several axes and hatchets, over 15 knives, machetes and other edged weapons, bear spray, two pellet guns and an improvised firearm, bolt cutters and several impact weapons, including a pipe and a large piece of steel.

“The number of weapons seized in downtown Prince George in this short period of time is certainly concerning to me as a police officer,” states Sgt. Kurt Chapman, Commander of the Community Policing Unit. “With the proliferation of drugs in this area, many of the residents arm themselves with weapons to protect against the ever-present threat of violence. My concern is for those who live and work in the downtown core.”

Prince George RCMP, particularly the Downtown Safety Unit, will continue to aggressively interdict those who illegally possess weapons in the downtown core.

Written and released by Prince George RCMP