Public Safety committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, and fellow witnesses. My name is Duane Rutledge. I'm a member of the Glasgow Police Service in Nova Scotia. I'm in my thirtieth year of service. I've been a police officer for two-thirds of my life. I have worked general duty, drugs, GIS, major crime, and undercover, and I'm a member of the emergency response team.

Public Safety committee  I think quite possibly most on-the-street members realize that people are the problem. We will not control what people do. Our initial reaction would be that registering guns will not stop crime, will not make people safe, and will not assist us. We still go to as many houses now not knowing if there are guns in the house or if there aren't.

Public Safety committee  I would say much more effective would be enhancing our DNA ability in this country. If you want to put bad guys in jail, do that. Spend the money on DNA.

Public Safety committee  I've used it probably only a couple of times, and that was on the back end of an investigation, not on the front end. Being from an urban-rural community, we still rely on knowing the people we police, and using confidential informants and witnesses. We rely more on that at the front end of things, and that's how I go.

Public Safety committee  That has been our problem since the start of this. It was promised; it was set out as something that was going to save lives and protect people. It has not done that. I'm still going there with the same feeling--do I or do I not know?--and that's the issue for me.

Public Safety committee  I will. I would like to thank the committee for allowing me to speak today. My name is Duane Rutledge. I am a police officer, a sergeant with the New Glasgow Police Service in Nova Scotia. I have 30-plus years of experience in law enforcement, and I continue today to be a front-line officer.

Public Safety committee  You have to attend the residence and search it. You're only going to acquire what is there. My experience is that these people take their weapons and share them with their friends and family. They have other people who will hold the weapons for them. That's part of the issue with the whole registry.

Public Safety committee  No--

Public Safety committee  Any time we receive a call about domestic violence, whether it's a threat of violence or violence, we attend. In Nova Scotia there's a provincial policy: it's pro-investigation, pro-charge, and pro-arrest. We take it very seriously. You show up there and do a search of the residence in exigent circumstances.

Public Safety committee  Oh, I agree with you.

Public Safety committee  Well, I've never been to that point, so....

Public Safety committee  Physically, it's a weapon that could be used...it's a distance weapon, whereas a knife is very up close and personal.