Calgary police officer whose rifle was stolen from car will not be charged

A Calgary police officer who had a patrol rifle stolen from his car last year "will not be charged criminally in connection with the case," police said.

The rifle was takenon April 4when someone broke into theoff-duty constable's personal car as he was eating dinner at a Crowfoot Crossingrestaurant.

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The thief took a locked case from the car, which containedtheofficer'sC-8 Colt patrol rifle andtwo 28-round magazines.

Policelater recovered the stolen weapon and the officer wassuspended with pay while an investigation was conducted.

"Following a thorough investigation by the Calgary Police Service Professional Standards Section, that included a review of all the evidence by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the Edmonton Crown Prosecutor's Office has recommended no charges be laid against the officer in question," CPS said in a release on Monday.

"Now that the criminal investigation is complete, a thorough internal investigation will continue under the Police Act, which will look at the officer's judgment, service policiesand other factors related to this event."