Canberra's elite tactical response teams christened their new state-of-the-art complex yesterday the only way they know how - by taking down criminals.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A new facility to house the Specialist Response and Security unit, which includes tactical response teams, the bomb squad, police negotiators, canine handlers and search and rescue teams, was unveiled yesterday.
High ranking Australian Federal Police executives, including Commissioner Tony Negus and ACT Policing Chief Police Officer Roman Quaedvlieg, were shown the skill and lightning agility of the SRS unit in a mock ''take out''.
Two men, acting as criminals, walked through an open area of the facility, before a series of flashbangs, or stun grenades, were thrown and tactical assault squads swooped, ordering the men to the ground.
The demonstration was an example of how the $1.5 million facility will be used for training.
The facility in Canberra's north replaces an ageing facility in Weston, which Assistant Commissioner Quaedvlieg said had outlived its utility.
''It wasn't hindering tactical response but it was starting to outgrow its utility in terms of its maintenance and its size,'' Assistant Commissioner Quaedvlieg said.
''It was retrofitted so it wasn't ever fitted for housing a tactical unit,'' he said.
Construction of the facility began in 2010, and the SRS relocated there in August.
Assistant Commissioner Quaedvlieg said the new location for the specialist unit would not affect response times. About 60 officers will operate from the new facility, which covers more than 2700sqm, including 1100sqm of storage space and 850sqm of office space.
The SRS facility adds to a host of new facilities for ACT Policing, including the new Belconnen Police Station and the Exhibit Management Centre, which was completed this year. The Belconnen Police Station was planned for completion in the middle of this year, but last summer's rain and the discovery of unexpected utilities and communications infrastructure underground at the site delayed the project by at least six months.
