The National Weapons Enforcement Support Team

Our mission

To make streets and communities across Canada safer by strengthening the ability of our law enforcement and criminal justice partners to combat the illegal smuggling and trafficking of illicit firearms and other weapons.

Who are we?

The National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST) is an integral firearms/weapons investigative support component of the essential services provided by the RCMP’s National Police Services to the law enforcement community.

NWEST is dedicated to public safety and assists front line police agencies in gathering evidence to successfully prosecute persons or organizations involved in the illegal movement and criminal use of firearms.

NWEST was created in January 2001 by the Federal Department of Justice and transferred to the RCMP’s National Police Services in April of 2003.

Canadian National Firearms Tracing Centre

On April 1, 2005, the Canadian National Firearms Tracing Centre (NFTC) was transferred from Criminal Intelligence Service Canada (CISC) to NWEST. The Tracing Centre within NWEST assists law enforcement agencies to determine the origin(s) of crime guns and trace those firearms as they move from owner to owner. CNFTC provides assistance to all law enforcement agencies in Canada, the United States and other countries in tracing the histories of firearms seized by law enforcement authorities during the course of criminal investigations.

The Tracing Centre works closely with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to trace illegal firearms that come into Canada. It also works with other countries in tracing illegal firearms that originate outside North America. This service can be of valuable assistance to investigators.

Information obtained by tracing illegal firearms enables investigators to:

• collate, analyse and identify trends and patterns on the illegal use of firearms across Canada by criminals and/or criminal organizations;
• identify the source(s) of illegal firearms to detect, deter, disrupt and dismantle those involved in the illegal movement and transfer of illicit firearms.

NFTC Contacts

• Headquarters NFTC (Ottawa) Tel: (613) 960-7248
• Law Enforcement requests for firearms tracing should be submitted by fax to: (613) 960-7260 or by email to NFTU@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

What services does NWEST offer?

NWEST is a support team, not an enforcement unit. The services offered by NWEST to combat the illegal smuggling and trafficking of illicit firearms include:

• investigative support
• firearms identification
• tracing of illicit firearms
• analytical assistance and support to the enforcement community on the essential elements regarding search warrants for firearms or weapons related investigations
• firearms law enforcement training sessions
• firearms related expert advice and witnesses
• training aids, materials and lectures

NWEST also maintains a network of firearms specialists from federal, provincial and municipal police forces strategically located across Canada.

A critical component of NWEST is the training of specialized law enforcement officers. NWEST and the ATF have co-sponsored training programs and workshops for enforcement officers on topics related to firearms/weapons trafficking and smuggling, as well as investigative techniques and methodologies. NWEST also hosts an International Firearms Conference every year where these techniques are shared with the International Law Enforcement community.

Should the services of NWEST be required, please contact your local or Provincial NWEST member directly.

Where are we located?

Thirty firearms enforcement support officers selected from federal, provincial, and municipal police forces across Canada provide investigative support and training services. Members are seconded to NWEST through a service level agreement with their home police service.

Member Agencies

• Calgary Police Service
• Charlottetown Police Department
• Edmonton Police Service
• Lethbridge Police Service
• Halifax Regional Police
• Peel Regional Police Service
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
• Saanich Police Department
• Saint John Police Force
• Saskatoon Police Service
• Service de police de la Ville de Montréal
• Sûreté du Québec
• Vancouver Police Department
• Winnipeg Police Service

NWEST Offices

The NWEST Team is divided into three units – Quebec region (Montreal office), Western region (Vancouver office), and Eastern region (Mississauga). The NFTC and support staff are located in Ottawa.

• Headquarters NFTC (Ottawa) tel: (613) 690-7248
  
• Eastern Region (Mississauga) Tel: (905) 795-5235
• Western Region (Vancouver) Tel: (604) 777-7901
• Quebec Region (Montreal) Tel: (514) 280-2140