Sidearm removals dangerous, NAPE warns

A decision to remove sidearms from some Newfoundland and Labrador conservation officers could put those workers at risk, a union leader says.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees says it has learned that conservation officers working in the provincial government's forestry division will lose their guns, while inland fish and wildlife enforcement officers will keep theirs.

"This is not about bread and butter any more, this is not about a paycheque. This is about safety," NAPE president Carol Furlong told CBC News.

"They are dealing with people on a daily basis who are carrying their own [fire]arms They're distraught. I can tell you, they're very concerned."

Before the Easter break, the government announced that officers who enforce wildlife regulations would be transferred from Natural Resources to Justice.

The release did not reveal, though, that forestry conservation officers who remain in Natural Resources will now lose their sidearms.

Conservation officers were unarmed until 2005, when government implemented a new policy following a lengthy public debate.

Furlong said she is not aware of any incident that would have caused concerns about forestry conservation officers carrying guns.

"What has happened now for government to change its mind and to place the lives of these conservation officers perhaps at risk," she asked.