Surrey RCMP News Release – For Immediate Distribution
Date: 2016-04-11
Title: Safe City Project Underway in Surrey
Surrey RCMP is undertaking a project dubbed as “Safe City”, which aims to educate firearms owners on current laws surrounding the registration requirements for restricted and prohibited firearms.
Police officers from the Surrey RCMP, supported by the National Weapon Enforcement Support Team (NWEST) and Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU – BC) have been and will be visiting the owners of restricted and prohibited firearms whose registrations have expired. The proactive undertaking was developed prior to the recent shootings that have occured in Surrey.
“The objective of this project is to educate firearms owners on the current laws surrounding firearms, as some may not even realize that they are non-compliant,” said Assistant Commissioner Bill Fordy, the Officer in Charge of Surrey RCMP. “We are running this program to help gun owners with registering their expired, prohibited, and restricted firearms, or help facilitate relinquishment of unwanted firearms safely and effectively to police. Our aim is to reduce the number of illegally owned and unregistered firearms in Surrey, as well as enhance public and police officer safety. The majority of gun related crimes in Canada are committed with guns that are domestically sourced.”
Ridge-Meadows RCMP also successfully launched the program in November 2015 and announced their result after it is was done (see news release).
If you have any unwanted firearms, please contact your local police department on their non-emergency line. Police will go to your residence to receive the firearms. For security reasons, please do not transport the firearms into police departments.
For information on licensing, registration and general safekeeping of firearms, please visit the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) website at www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf.
Surrey RCMP commit to providing an update on the Safe City Project upon completion.
Committed to serving the Community
Your Surrey RCMP is committed to providing a sensitive, responsive, professional policing service for all Surrey communities. For more information about Surrey RCMP Programs & Services, how to Protect Yourself, or our latest News Releases visit www.surrey.rcmp.ca.
For media inquiries contact:
Cpl. Scotty Schumann
Media Relations Officer
Surrey RCMP Media Relations Unit
Office: 604.599.7776
Email: surrey_media_relations@rcmp-grc.gc.ca