Police officers man a roadblock in Moncton, New Brunswick, Thursday, June 5, 2014, searching for a suspect who shot and killed three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers the day before.
Image Credit: CANADIAN PRESS/file photo/Andrew Vaughan
June 18, 2014 - 2:34 PM
The RCMP is rebuffing claims that it has failed to equip and train its officers properly after three members were fatally shot and two others injured in Moncton, N.B.
The RCMP says in a statement today that the investigation into the June 4 shootings is in its early stages and the force is still trying to determine what happened.
It says people have said the officers in New Brunswick did not have access to hard body armour or C8 patrol carbines, a type of assault rifle.
The statement comes after retired and serving members have said the force has been slow to equip officers with weapons to properly defend themselves.
Rob Creasser of the Mounted Police Professional Association says many detachments still don't have patrol carbines or specialized armour.
His criticisms come after 24-year-old Justin Bourque was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.
The three officers were killed and two others were injured in the shootings earlier this month in a residential Moncton neighbourhood, leading to a widespread lockdown and manhunt.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014