SWAT+teams+around+the+world

__Swat Teams around the World Teams __



Overview of Swat Teams or Special Response Units

There comes a time where there are certain occasions that normal police forces cannot control and maintain order within society. Threats of violence is an issue around the world and there can only be one solution in combating these threats who have a more experienced in dealing with high risked situations. Every country a special response team each representing a different sect within the law enforcement community. Some have common tasks when combating crime, while others mostly deal with terrorism or outside threats. The personnel who are part of the organizations highly trained and equipped to take on serious threats or incidents that are deemed too dangerous for normal police to handle. The necessity of having swat teams or special unit squads to help maintain order in society and engage in high risk operations.



Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police force or "the Mounties" is an elite special unit within Canada's law enforcement sect and is both a federal and national police force with each Canadian province having their own RCMP division. The roots of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police force came into effect 1873 when the Canadian Parliament formed the North-West Mounted Police, which would then become the RCMP we we know it today. The reason for their existence at the time was to stop American whiskey traders operating among the indigenous population in southern Alberta and their objective was to shutdown the illegal distribution and selling of alcohol near the border and form an alliance with the First Nation people of the West. It wasn't until the end of World War 1 in 1920 where they officially changed the name to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police force and moved their headquarters from Regina to Ottawa the capital of Canada to be more effective force. Each providence has a branch of RCMP and the primarily responsibility for the Mounties is to enforce federal laws throughout Canada as well as provincial and municipal level with the exception of Ontario and Quebec where it is just provincial forces. Some of the RCMP’s operations include sorting out organize crime, counter terrorism, and any offenses that threaten or harm the integrity of the Canadian border to ensure nothing serious crosses the border.

 The standard uniform all Mounties wear in their line of duty is the Red Sarge uniform, scarlet ceremonial uniform as well as the stetson hat. Weapons and equipment the RCMP use are marine crafts to conduct operations in the sea or lakes and terrain vehicles for the Canadian prairies and climate or helicopters for search and rescue. Some weapons in the RCMP arsenal include Smith and Wesson pistols and Colt Canada C7 rifle for combat use. The SIG Saur 220R.45/226R-9mm is also a popular choice among the Mounties for close combat situations or high risked operations. The RCMP remain one of the well known and unique forces in the world and the RCMP has become a national identity for Canada.

Grenzschutzgruppe 9 der Bundespolizei (GSG 9)

The GSG 9 is Germany’s main counter terrorism and special weapons and tactics who also protect very important people such as, politicians and wealthy businessman. This group is based out of Sankt Augustin- Hangelar, which is outside the city of Bonn and employs 250 operators. GSG 9 stands for Grenzschutzgruppe 9 der Bundespolizei, which in English means Border Protection Group 9 of the Federal Police. The GSG 9 was formed in 1972 in response of the terrorist attack during the Munich Olympic Games where Palestinian terror group or "Black September" kidnapped some of Israeli Olympic team and killed two of them. The German police were not prepared for this incident and were not trained to take on the terrorist, which resulted in the innocent deaths of the Israeli Olympic team. Germany would then pass the Federal Police Act prompting the GSG 9, so none of the events from the Munich incident will be repeated. Main objective for the GSG 9 is to perform counter-terrorism operations by rescuing hostages and securing safety of the public from terror threats. They are also used for securing locations to keep the threat from spreading and neutralizing targets who are deemed as a threat to the German society.



 The equipment and weaponry used in the GSG 9 includes the Glock 17 as a sidearm and SIG Saur SG 550 assault weapon when going up against a threat in close range assualt. When conducting sniper operations, the GSG 9 use an AMP Technical Services DSR-1 for amazing scope power if they have to take out a target from a long distance. Training for this unit consists of marksmanship test with both a pistol and a assault weapon along with passing a medical and psychological examination. An individual wanting to join the GSG 9 must complete a 22 week training program, which included basic and specialized training as well as a physical endurance test.



Yamam (Israel)

The Yamam orYechida Mishtartit Meyuchedet is the Israeli version of a swat team or a special police unit, but most of their operations include counter-terrorism and securing the border with their neighboring countries from possible threats of harm towards the Israeli people. Yamam has also been known for hostage rescue missions and raiding suspected targets hangouts and locations. A country like Israel where they are constantly threatened with terror attacks from terrorist groups around the Middle East and Arab countries who do not approve of Israel's existence, need a special defense force besides their military to keep the Israeli public safe and secure from any terror plots against them. This special policing unit was established in 1974 in response to the Ma'alot massacre when three Lebanese terrorists went on a killing spree in the Israeli city of Ma'alot, killing 20 students and teachers. The attack left the country in panic and fear of safety swept through Israel with people worried of another potential attack from its neighbors. The responsibilities the unit engages in consist of mostly counter-terrorism missions and tasks Yamam are known for are combating terror by operating through out the the West Bank and the Gaza Strip due to the growing threat from Hamas. The structure for Yamam is there are separate elements within the unit like most swat or special forces and they are split up into sniping teams, bomb disposal team, medic team, and entry team all having their set of tasks to complete.

Training and recruiting in the Yamam unit, is a very difficult group to join, since you have to complete a three stint with the IDF the military force of Israel with at least a level 8 of IDF training. The selection process for Yamam is the toughest in the world with a lot of people who have gone through the process refer it to "hell week". Most of the applicants were former elite soldiers serving in the armed forces and what the unit is looking for in an individual is intelligence, physical endurance, leadership, trustworthiness, and communication all are key if you want to join this group. Equipment the Yamam use varies among pistols and automatic weapons, which include Glock 17 pistol, a Para Micro-Uzi, FN P90 submachine gun, and SR-25 Sniper rifle.

Swat Team (U.S.)

The Special Weapons Attack Team or swat team, is one of the highly trained organizations in the law enforcement unit. Unlike the other special police units, the swat teams the United States is more associated with police and law enforcement. the United States being characterized as a military-style of policing who operate situations where normal uniformed police do not have the capabilities or training to engage high risk situations. The Swat team can trace itself back to Los Angeles in the early 1960’s where the Watts riots were going on and the man responsible for their creation is Daryl Gates. After the deadly Watts riot of 1965 ended, Gates felt it was necessary to have a special policing unit within the city limits in case these type of incidents occur again. Swat teams have jurisdiction all over the nation in different departments and typically engage in armed criminals and performing hostage and rescue operations involving terrorism. They also would meet danger head on by entering barricaded buildings or mass shooting areas. After the Watts incident ended, many police departments around the United States started to establish their own swat teams



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Swat teams are heavily armed from armored vehicles to high tech weapons including sub machine guns, assault rifles, and equipped sniper rifles for hostage situations. Some weapons include modern M4 and a 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5 sub machine gun and Glock pistols and SIG Saur assault rifles. When breaching suspected houses, they would use battering rams to smash the door down and flash bang grenades to stun the perpetrators inside. There have been complaints about the swat teams for being considered militarized police and people feel that police given too much authority and power, but then there others who feel they are necessary for our protection because you never know what incident will occur and there some instance the police are just not properly trained for. Training and being selected for the swat team comes down to applicants passing a string of tests similar to all the other special units around the world. Applicants have to pass a physical test as well as a written and oral test and a psychological test to see if you can stand fit for service in the unit. Once recruited they are trained in various positions within the unit, such as handling explosives, medical training, and crowd control when protests turn to riots, the members of the swat team must be able to use non-lethal force to keep the crowd calm.Black and blue military uniforms are the standard gear for swat teams and ballistic vests for protection.

<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">References

http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/hist/index-eng.htm

http://www.bundespolizei.de/DE/06Die-Bundespolizei/Organisation/BPOLP/GSG9/gsg9_node.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/us/the-rise-of-the-swat-team-in-american-policing.html

<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16pt;">External Link

http://ntoa.org/about/

http://mops.gov.il/