THUNDER BAY — City police offered a show and tell of sorts to local media of replica firearms that have been cropping up more recently in police investigations.
A number of items that appeared to be guns were placed on a boardroom table.
All five of the items were, in fact, replica guns -- four of which had been seized during police investigations. One is a TBPS training pistol, another appears to be a plastic toy gun, and the remainder include airsoft and pellet guns.
Chief Darcy Fleury is concerned with a rising trend in replica weapons appearing in investigations.
"We've had a number of incidents involving imitation firearms, and as you can see, those firearms are very difficult to differentiate between real handguns."
Fleury added these items pose a "real concern for officers, and for the people that possess them" as incidents will be treated with extreme caution until police confirm there is no risk to public safety when responding to a weapons call.
While not an imitation weapon, the police service's exhibition also featured a gun disguised as a cellphone.
Inspector Jeremy Pearson dubbed it a "sophisticated" weapon.
"This is the first time that I've seen something that is manufactured for the purpose of disguising its true purpose," he said.
Both the chief and the inspector said responding officers will treat a weapons call as if there is a lethal weapon that poses a risk to safety. They want the public to be responsible when using imitation or airsoft weapons.
"The only way we can prevent these sorts of incidents is by putting it into the public awareness that this creates a very real danger for police, for the public and for the people who unadvisedly choose to present these as true firearms," Pearson said.
