the Saskatchewan Ballistics Laboratory had been temporarily located last year at the Saskatoon Police Service headquarters while the new facility was built.

Police forces throughout Saskatchewan are hoping a new ballistics lab in Saskatoon will speed up investigations and solve gun-related crimes.

In the past, ballistics testing had to be sent to the RCMP National Forensic Laboratory Services in Ottawa or Surrey. In a news release, Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said, “The Saskatchewan Ballistics Lab has been a turning point in how crimes involving firearms are investigated in our province, providing over 900 firearm examinations and services since commencing operations.”

The lab is equipped with advanced technology to support firearms investigations, including a MILO Range for controlled testing, a water tank and cotton box to safely capture bullets and casings, a comparison microscope and BrassTrax technology for detailed analysis, and a Laboratory Information Management System to securely manage case data and results.

The minister responsible as well as Saskatchewan Firearms Office (SFO) Commissioner Robert Freberg officially opened the permanent, but unnamed, location of the Saskatchewan Ballistics Laboratory.