About 125 of those weapons came from Puvirnituq, and many had sawed-off barrels or stocks with modified firing pins. But while Nunavik's community police often confiscate guns during potentially explosive situations, they still don't carry any sidearms themselves. Perhaps they should have some means to protect themselves, or else we might put them in jeopardy. In the past, when persuasion hasn't been able to defuse violence, the Kativik police used pepper spray or batons, instead of guns. I'm a strong believer in trust.
Guns are a last resort.
You use them when you have no place to run. Nunavik's police have kept rifles in their cars or at their police stations, but say that they don't like to use them because they're cumbersome, overly powerful, and so obvious that their presence can actually make an unstable situation more volatile. But if police are nervous about the prospect of carrying guns, they're even more worried about what will happen if they don't. With booze, drugs and guns now commonplace in the communities they serve, police are convinced that someday soon, someone is going to fire a gun at one of their own members or at innocent bystanders. If the KRPF decides to issue sidearms, all regular constables will receive their own weapons, even if they don't wear them at all times.