Horizontal Initiatives

Collaborate to provide enhanced criminal firearms information and intelligence. For example, since 2007, a minimum standard set of data for each illegal firearm seized (i.e., the National Minimum Collection Standards) has been collected by the RCMP CFP. The collection of a standard data set for crime guns enables a consistent national intelligence analysis.

Bridge national firearms policy and operational gaps with partners. FIES provides support with warrants, verification of seized guns, and can assist police agencies with the development and implementation of policies and methodologies to assist with the collection and reporting of guns within their own agencies. FIES will offer online and in-person training to law enforcement personnel in 2015-16.

Improve present and future information-sharing, vital to the prevention and investigation of firearms crime.

Provide specialized expertise to law enforcement agencies, leading to the successful prosecutions of individuals involved in the trafficking of small arms and the criminal use of firearms.

Note: Planned spending includes the Employee Benefits Plan.

FIES responded to 100% of requests for service from law enforcement within the fiscal year (13,557 of 13,557 requests). These calls for service are received by email, telephone or fax, and can range from general advice or assistance on case files where relevant data on seized firearms are captured in the internal database used by FIES for intelligence analysis.

The Canadian National Firearms Tracing Centre (CNFTC), within FIES, assists law enforcement with their investigations by determining the origin and history of a firearm and possibly assisting with linking it to a crime. A firearm is a critical piece of physical evidence in a gun-related crime and tracing it to an individual or criminal organization provides key information in criminal cases. In 2015-16, CNFTC responded to 100% of firearm tracing requests (3,110 of 3,110).

The National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST) continued to make a significant contribution to frontline training on firearms investigations and prosecutions in Canada. This generally comprises training sessions to uniformed officers and specialized units on topics such as public safety seizures, evidentiary seizures, firearms identification and the tracing of firearms. In 2015-16, NWEST conducted over 136 training sessions across Canada. For example, in February 2016, FIES held its second Firearms Examiners Training School, which was attended by 28 participants representing the Eastern and Western regions of NWEST. Findings from the post-training participant survey indicate overall satisfaction with the course, and an increase in participants' knowledge of investigative procedures. As another example, six advanced training sessions designed to enhance firearms prosecutions training were delivered to Crown Attorneys across Canada via the Crown Attorney Program of the CFP.

Four online firearms training courses, developed by FIES in conjunction with the Canadian Police Knowledge Network, are available to law enforcement. 226 total users registered for these courses in fiscal year 2015-16. The number of users who completed these courses (in English [or French version]) are:

Firearms Identification for Public Agents 2.0
English: 8

Firearms Verification
English: 48
French: 3

Seized Firearms Safety
English: 51

The Canadian Firearms Registry Online: A Tool for Officer Safety
English: 17

The Firearms Reference Table (FRT) database – a tool for law enforcement agencies to assist with firearms identification and record keeping – is currently on version 4.7. With 164,362 firearm records and 47,157 images, the FRT improves accuracy in import-export control cases and facilitates information sharing. Since the publication of version 4.6, 3,467 new firearms records and 1,162 new images were added; approximately 1,340 firearm records were modified with additional information.

There are two versions of the FRT – one for Canadian clients and one for international clients – and two main delivery formats, DVD and Web-based. 190 copies of the Canadian version 4.7 DVD were distributed. There has been a decrease in Canadian DVD use over the last few years as more users switch to the FRT-Web which offers the advantage of being updated every 24 hours.
1,806 copies of the International version 4.7 DVD were distributed to 78 countries. Another 11 copies of the International version for installation on a corporate local area network were also distributed. The ATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) is one of these clients.

The FRT-Web is available through the RCMP Intranet and the RCMP Internet Presence Environment, which works through the Government Services (GC Key) website. There is no counter function to track the frequency of use on the current version of the FRT-Web. This will be available in future web versions. From April 2015 to March 2016, 285 people were granted access to the FRT-Web through the GC Key, 23 of which were International clients.

The RCMP-CFP provides an FRT data cut annually to INTERPOL to update the IFRT (INTERPOL Firearms Reference Table). The IFRT is made available through their I24/7 secure network as well as the Illicit Arms Records and Tracing Management System (iARMS) program.

Collaborate to provide enhanced criminal firearms information and intelligence.

Bridge national firearm policy and operational gaps with partners.

Improve present and future information-sharing, vital to the prevention and investigation of firearms crime.

Provide specialized expertise to law enforcement agencies, leading to the successful prosecutions of individuals involved in the trafficking of small arms and the criminal use of firearms.

Note: Planned spending includes the Employee Benefits Plan.

As of March 31, 2016, the Canadian Integrated Ballistics Identification Network (CIBIN) database included a total of 80,723 bullets and cartridge cases, and there have been 4,164 confirmed hits linking crimes or firearms to crimes for investigators to pursue since its beginning. There are between 15 and 20 main users of CIBIN, however over 500 agencies have used CIBIN.

For 2015-16, 3,375 bullets and cartridge cases have been acquired in CIBIN and there have been 325 confirmed hits linking crimes or firearms to crimes.

Integration of Firearms-related Intelligence into the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada's Integrated Threat Assessment Process and methodology leading to the inclusion of firearms within the National Threat Assessment (NTA) on Organized and Serious Crime and an updated National Firearms threat Assessment, and their related collection plans.

Increased collaboration within CISC and its 10 provincial, but independent, bureaus and ICCUF partners to enhance sharing on criminal firearms intelligence to more accurately assess the threat represented by illicit firearms, both nationally and provincially for CISC's 340 plus law enforcement partners.

Identification of the most important national firearms smugglers and/or traffickers, both groups or individuals, to CISC's operational counterpart, the Criminal Integrated Response to Organized Crime (CIROC), for enforcement or intelligence targeting purposes.

Firearms information has now been integrated into the NTA on Serious and Organized Crime. All High-Level threat groups and key facilitators use of violence, notably firearms, is reflected in the document – including summary tables on important groups and key facilitators – and shared with CISC's 340 plus partners. CISC's NTA is a standing document in Canadian Integrated Response to Organized Crime (CIROC) and RCMP National Integrated Operations Council meetings (NIOC).

The identification of the most important smugglers and traffickers is ongoing. The reallocation of resources to National Security files has resulted in CISC receiving less intelligence on organized crime groups, requiring additional effort to identify key players. CISC expects the 2016 National Strategic Firearms Threat Assessments to identify these players instead.

Continue to develop strategic partners and information-sharing protocols.

Continue to foster information-sharing with stakeholders.

Development of intelligence on individuals and businesses suspected of being involved in firearms smuggling and trafficking activities.

Provision of intelligence support to Canadian law enforcement agencies in matters relating to the trafficking of firearms.

Note: Planned spending includes the Employee Benefits Plan.

Valuable intelligence information shared in support of firearms crime investigations.

The Regional Intelligence Firearms Liaison Officer network provides support to, and shares information and intelligence with, police and law enforcement partners relating to the smuggling of firearms, and deals with the border nexus to these and organized criminal activities.

Seizure of non-restricted, restricted and prohibited firearms at Ports of Entry across Canada.

Development of intelligence on individuals and businesses suspected of being involved in the cross-border movement of illicit firearms.

Provision of intelligence support to Canadian law enforcement agencies in matters relating to the trafficking of firearms. Seizure of non-restricted, restricted and prohibited firearms at Ports of Entry across Canada.

Provision of intelligence support to Canadian law enforcement agencies in matters relating to the trafficking of firearms.

Successfully worked with partners, both domestic and international, to strengthen working relationships and the sharing of information and intelligence within appropriate legislative frameworks, such as within the ICCUF initiative partners, and also our binational partners: US Department of Homeland Security and the US Customs and Border Protection.

Completion of two research projects: 1) the 3-D printing of firearms, their components and ammunition; and 2) the characteristics of the Canadian firearms industry: supplying the civilian market.

Participation at the Gangs & Guns Training Symposium in British Columbia. Information presented at the conference on successful programs in Canada will inform policy advice and development to deliver on the government priority to reduce gang violence and get handguns and assault weapons off our streets.