Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry heavily criticises police response

A report was released on Thursday, May 6th, which concluded that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) could have prevented the mass shooting that took place in April 2020 in Nova Scotia. The attack claimed 22 lives, and it was the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history.

The report was conducted by an independent panel that was created to examine the RCMP’s response to the mass shooting. According to the report, the RCMP missed numerous opportunities that could have prevented the attack or reduced the number of casualties.

The RCMP’s handling of the situation was criticized in the report, with the panel noting that the police force could have done more to warn residents about the danger and to protect them from the shooter. Among the criticism, the report noted that the RCMP failed to issue an emergency alert to residents, failed to use social media to keep the public informed, and failed to establish safe zones for people to gather in. These lapses meant that survivors of the shooting were left to fend for themselves, without guidance, and without proper resources.

In addition to these failings, the report found that the RCMP did not adequately investigate and respond to reports of the gunman’s behavior in the years leading up to the shooting. The report claims that the RCMP received information from multiple sources about the shooter’s violent tendencies, but didn’t take any meaningful action to address these concerns. The report also notes that the shooter had illegal firearms in his possession, but the RCMP did not conduct a search of his property or seize his weapons.

Overall, the report concludes that the RCMP’s handling of the mass shooting was a failure. The report suggests that numerous factors contributed to this failure, including the RCMP’s lack of resources, training, and communication. Moving forward, the panel recommends a comprehensive overhaul of the RCMP’s policies and procedures to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.



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