'Disturbing number of firearm-related offences': Guelph police say illegal firearms becoming more common

Guelph police say illegal firearms are becoming increasingly common in the Royal City.

In a news release Tuesday, police said there have been concerning numbers of firearm-related criminal offences occurring in the city.

“This disturbing trend has been observed in a number of recent investigations,” police said.

According to police, there was a time when it was relatively uncommon for members of the Guelph Police Service to encounter illegal firearms in their day-to-day interactions with the public. This is no longer the case.

“Our community has seen a disturbing number of firearm-related offences in recent weeks. This presents increased risks for our citizens and our members,” said Chief Gord Cobey. “We will continue to work to identify and disrupt the activities of those involved in these illegal activities.”

Guelph police said three men are facing charges following a lengthy drug investigation. (Submitted: Guelph Police Service)Police pointed to several recent investigations in the last few months where firearms were seized, including a search on May 25 where two loaded handguns and a large quantity of ammunition were located.

In an interview with CTV News, Guelph Police Service Chief Gord Cobey said the trend is concerning not only for the public, but for officers as well.

“We live in a relatively safe community, but I think it’s important that we remain mindful and understand the trends occurring,” Chief Cobey said.

“We’re not immune to the crimes happening in larger urban centres and I think from our members’ perspective, these incidents make an already difficult and often dangerous job for our police members even more difficult and even more dangerous.”

At this point, the chief said questions like where the guns came from are still under investigation.

“It’d be naïve if we weren’t understanding and starting to learn what the cause is, the trends and where some of the weapons may be coming from,” Cobey said.