FORT FRANCES—Late last month, the federal government announced it would be arming 4,400 border officers with side-arms over the next 10 years, but when local officers will be armed remains to be determined.
“The timetable hasn’t been determined,” explained Derek Mellon, a spokesperson for the Canadian Border Services Agency.
“The arming of the guards, as to where and when, that will be based on factors such as risk and demand,” he noted. “So the busiest border crossings, you would think that those would be the places would first get side-arms.”
CBSA officers at land and marine ports of entry, as well as those who perform enforcement functions inland, will be trained and equipped with side-arms.
Officers working at airports will not be armed.
Fully-trained and armed officers are expected to begin to be deployed by next September. About 150 armed officers will be deployed by March 31, 2008.
Full implementation is expected to take about 10 years, though the Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise (CEUDA) is working with the federal government for a shorter implementation period.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper also announced Ottawa would provide 400 new permanent CBSA border officers so officers no longer will have to work alone.
The CBSA manages roughly 1,200 border points across Canada. Work-alone situations occur at 138 of those sites, which often are in remote locations—far from urban centres or police presence.
“Arming CBSA officers and eliminating situations where these officers work alone will allow them to do their job better and more effectively,” Prime Minister Harper said.
CEUDA was pleased with the announcement, but called on the government to arm officers working at international airports, too.
“CEUDA thanks the prime minister and this new government for honouring their commitment and moving forward in real ways that Canadian can count on and benefit from,” said CEUDA national president Ron Moran.
“Border security is not something to be toyed with,” he stressed.
Locally, Mellon said it is not yet clear how the new policy will affect students who often are hired to work in the summer months.
“Those details will be worked out as we progress towards it,” he said.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
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