WPS touts tank for saving lives

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/11/2018 (1988 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

No one was shot — no suspect, nor any Winnipeg police officers — during last week’s armed standoff at a home on Bannerman Avenue.

While that’s the goal in any such incident, Winnipeg Police Service officials said Friday its armoured rescue vehicle played a vital role in the result on Nov. 7, when officers were fired on by a person from inside 335 Bannerman Ave.

Officers used the vehicle for protection and for cover when they threw cannisters of tear gas into the house to force out a suspect and end the standoff after five hours. A 16-year-old boy was arrested and faces seven attempted murder charges, along with numerous other charges.

The tank-like ARV1 Gurkha, on display Friday at a news conference, had merely a few paint chips where it had been struck with numerous rounds from more than one long gun. Next to it sat a bullet-riddled police cruiser, with its windshield peppered with spots of shattered glass around bullet holes and its hood dented from bullets.

“What we know is this (car) offers no protection (from gunfire),” WPS Const. Rob Carver said, noting illegal guns have been involved in all of the recent armed-and-barricaded situations Winnipeg law enforcement has faced.

The ARV1 is a game-changer during high-risk situations, said Const. Tyler Loewen, a member of the tactical support team who worked at the Bannerman standoff scene. When the tactical support team arrives in the eight-seat, 7,700-kilogram vehicle, the powerful tactical tool provides protection for officers and a safety net for citizens.

“We’re the last line of defence in terms of who you can can call. There’s nobody else to call after TST arrives in these high-risk incidents. That’s why we have extra training, extra tools like the ARV, as well as other tools in order to resolve those situations safely — not only for ourselves but for any subjects that we’re dealing with, as well,” Loewen said, adding the ARV1 “makes the unapproachable, approachable.”

The armoured vehicle, in use since 2016, is made by Canadian company Terradyne Armoured Vehicles. It has eight gun ports, a turret and a battering ram, and carried a $342,800 price tag when it was purchased in 2015.

After the armed standoff on Bannerman, WPS Chief Danny Smyth said nine officers from various units were on administrative leave to recover, and would be assessed by a psychologist before returning to duty.

It was the third armed-and-barricaded incident in the city in six days, which Smyth said was an “unprecedented” number in such a short span.

The chief said around 100 police officers were involved in the Bannerman standoff because there was an active shooter.

“It’s an extremely stressful situation, whether you’re a general patrol member, or tactical support team member or anybody who goes out there. That’s going to be a stressful situation, to receive incoming fire,” Loewen said.

“A big thing is, we have a lot of training, we have a lot of good support through our wellness officers after the fact of being involved in any high-risk incident, and we also have each other to rely on.”

All of the recent standoffs ended with no reported injuries.

“We’re extremely happy with the fact that we’ve been able to resolve these situations with a variety of tools, whether it’s ARV, or gas deployments or whatever the case may be,” Loewen said. “To not have to deal with the stress of an officer-involved shooting just makes the team that much more successful and healthier as a result.”

Loewen said the ARV1 is used for, among other calls, gun calls in progress about three or four times per month.

Some of the tactical team members are trained medics who can provide emergency first aid at a scene when it’s too dangerous to bring in paramedics or an ambulance.

Loewen said his time on the team will end soon, as five years is the maximum service on the specialized unit.

“We gain a lot of experience, and we can go back as general patrol and it helps (as a way to share knowledge and training),” he said.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca