The Regina Police Service SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) team is made up of 24 members. Each member of the team has regular, full-time duties as a police officer in other areas (ie: Patrol, School Resource, Investigative Units, etc). SWAT members are requested on a call-out basis to assist with high-risk calls for service/investigations.
All SWAT team members go through extensive mental testing, must be in peak physical condition, and are required to participate in consistent, competitive and ongoing training. SWAT members are required by policy to qualify on weapons training every month. Specialty Units within SWAT are also mandated to stay qualified on a yearly basis. The entire team trains upwards of 25 days per year, with some specialty teams (Sniper Team, Rappel Team) participating in additional training days.
The team’s mandate is to resolve any incident in the safest manner possible, protecting the lives of citizens, police and suspects. SWAT works closely with the Crisis Negotiators Team, the Explosives Disposal Unit and the Canine Unit to resolve incidents. The team has specialists trained as:
Counter-snipers – must be able to put five rounds of ammunition into a 1” circle at 100 yards. Counter-snipers, from a good vantage point with their scopes, are most often used in gathering intelligence.
Entry specialists – trained in covert entries (into a building), dynamic entries, high-risk warrant service (drug-search warrant), hostage rescue and resolving barricaded-person situations. These team members are trained in deployment of chemical munitions and less-lethal munitions.
Rappel specialists – would be used in cases where a specialized entry technique is required.
SWAT also performs VIP security and witness-protection duty as requested.
In 2018, approval was granted for the purchase of a tactical rescue vehicle (TRV). The Regina Police Service TRV, referred to as ‘Rescue 1’ was delivered in January 2019. ‘Rescue 1’ is bulletproof and features flat-run tires, an infrared camera and a communications system that supports crisis negotiation. One of its main benefits is officer & citizen assist and rescue; the TRV can be pulled up to the scene of an incident and utilized as a shield while officers perform a rescue.