Victoria Police officers seized six imitation firearms in two days while responding to calls for service last week.
The first incident happened on Jan. 11, just before 8 a.m., when officers were called to the 200-block of Cook St. for a report of a man smashing windows on the ground floor of a building.
The suspect was located nearby and arrested by responding officers.
During a search of the suspect, police found three imitation firearms, 0.22-caliber ammunition, two ounces of drugs, and cash.
Police say the imitation firearms were Glock-style pellet guns with air-powered magazines, with a similar look and feel to the firearms used by VicPD.
The suspect had an outstanding warrant for a previous assault with a weapon incident and was released with conditions and a future court date.
The second incident happened the next day when officers responded to a report of an argument taking place between a man and woman in the 700-block of Johnson Street.
Officers searched the residence with a warrant and found two starter pistols, an airsoft pistol, 0.22-caliber ammunition, and shotgun shells.
Two men inside the residence were arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm and later released with conditions and a future court date.
VicPD continues to encounter real and replica firearms in community
VicPD says these incidents reflect an ongoing trend as officers continue to seize an average of two real or imitation firearms per week in Victoria and Esquimalt.
According to the service, officers seized 97 real and 42 imitation firearms in 2023 — a 73 per cent increase in real firearms over 2022.
(Const. Howe walking through safe handling procedures for the hands-on “Real Or Replica” event. Photo supplied by VicPD.)
Mackenzie Read
