SEIU-West issued a statement in response to the weapons making it into St. Paul’s hospital with the union calling for the immediate installation of a metal detector at St. Paul’s Hospital, along with more security measures.

The union also points out that the kind of incident which took place November 27th, where a psychiatric patient brought a shot gun and several knives into the emergency department of St. Paul’s Hospital threatening to sexually assault and kill a staff member, is not exclusive to that hospital.

SEIU-West says it has received reports and evidence suggesting contraband items like guns, knives, and other dangerous objects are being brought into hospitals on a regular basis and at the Royal University Hospital, without the newly installed metal detector, these items would have gone unnoticed and possibly resulted in injuries or deaths.