Knives, blades seized at court prove security a concern: attorneys

A stash of knives, razor blades and other potential weapons seized at the Halifax provincial courthouse has Crown attorneys calling for a permanent metal detector.

"I'm fearful for myself, for everybody that works here," said Rick Woodburn, president the Nova Scotia Crown Attorneys Association. "It's scary knowing that all these weapons are coming into our courthouse and there's nothing we can do about it."

The metal detector is not a permanent fixture at the Halifax provincial courthouse. It's brought in for cases considered a potential security risk, such as the bail hearing Thursday of two men charged in a big drug bust off the Eastern Shore this fall.

The machine was beeping constantly throughout the day. Sheriffs seized a number of items, including a razor blade, a box cutter, a small knife and a lighter that looks like a .22-calibre handgun.

"The sheriffs even said that if someone had come in and they would have seen it, they would have taken them down," said Woodburn.

The items are legal and were later returned to their owners.

CBC News was told that the people who brought the items to court had nothing to do with the drug bust case that sparked the extra security in the first place. Some of the other people in court included those involved with parking tickets and small claims matters.

But in the wrong hands, Woodburn said, the items could be weapons. That has Crown attorneys sayingthe metal detector should be in use all of the time to ensure the safety of everyone in the courthouse.

"If there is a metal detector up, at least we can have confidence knowing that a lot of this stuff won't be getting in," Woodburn said.

Christine Mosher, executive director of court services for the Justice Department, said threat risk assessments are done and security is beefed up as needed.

"It's my view that the courtrooms are safe," Mosher said.