Report calling for carbines 'significantly lacking,' firearms instructor testifies
Supt. Brenda Blackmore tells Moncton courtoom she avoided calls from report's author
A report recommending the RCMP immediately adopt carbines was "significantly lacking in analysis," says an RCMP firearms instructor, who admitted in a Moncton courtroom Friday that she wouldn't return the author's calls or emails about it.
Supt. Rhonda Blackmore, who was a member of the RCMP's emergency response team, was testifying at the police force's trial over allegations it wasn't providing members with adequate safety at the time three Moncton officers were killed and two others wounded in June 2014.
Blackmore said the 2010 report by criminology professor Darryl Davies did not contain input from stakeholders or a comprehensive review of the information.
- RCMP lacked proper carbines, shooting ranges for training officers, trial hears
- Status quo deemed 'unacceptable' years before Moncton Mountie shootings, trial hears
- Carbine rifles not a priority for RCMP in 2009, Moncton Mounties shooting trial hears
The report was so deficient that it couldn't be corrected, she testified.
Blackmore said Davies tried to contact her several times by phone and email about the report, but she said she didn't respond because the matter involved senior management, and she was told not to.
Blackmore also provided a number for how many carbines were eventually issued to officers — 4,000. There are 3,500 marked squad cars in the force, and 6,000 front-line officers are trained to use the weapons.
- On mobile? Get the latest details from our live blog
The trial entered its final day before a two week break on Friday in Moncton.
The RCMP is charged with violating four provisions of the Labour Code relating to the shooting rampage of Justin Bourque.
Justin Bourque pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to the longest prison term in Canadian history.
With files from Tori Weldon