Ontario police are asking residents once again not to turn in any explosives they find, after a person brought a World War II grenade into one of their stations on Friday.
“The #OPP would like to remind the public that if you find such items, please do not transport them to your local police station,” the OPP East Region said on X. “This could obviously prove extremely dangerous to the person bringing the item and others around.”
Police told media that the ordnance remained outside the Ottawa detachment until explosives experts were called in to remove it, after which it was stored in a safe and approved manner before members of CFB Petawawa were contacted to collect the device and dispose of it.
In its July 10 post, the OPP said if anyone discovers an unexploded ordnance, “leave it where it is and contact your local police.”
“The police will arrange for their Explosives Disposal Unit to attend to safely discard the item,” it added.
Police did not provide details on what the weapon was, but said that “the age and unstable nature” of it resulted in a partial evacuation at the detachment.
“Transporting weapons and ammunition, especially older items, can pose a significant public safety risk,” OPP East Region posted on Facebook at the time.
It said residents looking to dispose of those items should always call their local police ahead of time to make arrangements instead of bringing them straight to the stations. It added that police will provide direction on best practices to ensure public safety is maintained.
In 2022, the RCMP in Surrey, B.C., had to evacuate its Guildford office after a person turned in a grenade that was found in a nearby park. The notice, sent out on the morning of Jan. 27, also forced local roads around the area to be closed. Roads were only reopened after the explosives disposal unit attended to it in the evening and safely disposed of the grenade.
