That is one dangerous souvenir to bring to the front desk.
Police in Ottawa have issued a serious public safety reminder after a local woman walked into a detachment with what appeared to be an unexploded World War II-era grenade, hoping officers could dispose of it.
“Earlier today, an individual brought an unexploded WW2 grenade to the Ottawa OPP Detachment for disposal,” the Ontario Provincial Police in Ottawa said in a recent Facebook post.
The force cautioned residents that potentially explosive military items should never be moved or delivered to a police station, adding, “The OPP would like to remind the public that if you find such items, please do not transport them to your local police station.”
According to authorities, the grenade was discovered by a 77-year-old woman from the area while she was cleaning out her basement.
After she arrived at the station with the device, police instructed her to place it outside as a precaution while the situation was handled safely.
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Ontario Provincial Police spokesperson Michael Fathi told the Ottawa Citizen that old explosives can be especially unpredictable because their condition is impossible to judge at a glance.
“You don’t want to take [a] chance,” he said.
The department, which stored it while waiting for the Canadian Forces at Petawawa to take it away, went on to explain the precarious nature of transporting grenades or any military supplies, asking residents not to pick them up, but contact them instead.
“This could obviously prove extremely dangerous to the person bringing the item and others around,” it continued in the post.
“If you find 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.”
