Winnipeg police to don body armour in high-risk situations

The Winnipeg Police Service is buying body armour for patrolofficers to wear when they respond to incidents where they may face assailants armed with shotguns or high-powered rifles.

The city has issued a tender for what police call "active shooter kits," which consist of protective body-armour plates and carriers. The plan is for each patrol car to be equipped with two of these kits, which patrol officers willwear when they respond to what the police describe as critical incidents.

Right now, only the police's tactical support team has ballistic protection. Patrol cars are being equipped with body armourand some officers will soon be trained to usesemi-automatic carbinerifles because the police have found themselves outgunned, said Patrol Sgt. Shawn Langstaff, the program manager for the police's firearms training unit.

"Initially, it's certainly going to be a change with respect to the way we conduct business. It'll take a while to get used to and realizing even when it would be appropriate to put it on, but Iwould hope the officers (who)would have access to the equipment wear itmore and more often once we roll itout," Langstaff said Wednesday in an interview at Winnipeg's police headquarters.

The police expect to acquire the body armour by the end of the year.Each set of body armour will weigh about seven kilograms, Langstaff said.

"It's not something you'd wear on a daily basis for a 10-hour shift. It's situational," he said.

The police's new semi-automatic rifles, meanwhile, have already arrived. Training will begin in October and the guns themselves will be deployed later this fall, Langstaff said.

• Semi-automatic rifles on the way to some Winnipeg police patrol officers

• 'Militarizing police': Winnipeg buys $343K armoured vehicle for officers

There may be situations where officers will wear the body armour without picking up the semi-automatic rifles, Langstaff said. Officers may also have to pick up the rifles without donning the armour if they don't have time to put on the kits, he added.

The rifles, coupled with the armour, will allow police to engage assailants at a distance. Right now, officers equipped with pistols and no armourfind themselves as a disadvantage when they encounter people armed with long guns, Langstaff said.

"Although we do have gun control in Canada, and handguns are restricted, there's a proliferationof long arms," he said."Hunting's popular across the nation, so shotguns and high-powered rifles are not that uncommon and it's pretty easy for a criminal to obtain a long arm through the black market or theft or things of that nature."

On Tuesday, for example, the police seized 11 long guns during a drug-and-weapons bust in West Kildonan.

The union representing police in Winnipeg supportsadditional protection for its members. In April,Winnipeg Police Association president MauriceSabourinsaid he also hopes the police will never have to use their newrifles, but said theymust prepare for the possibility of a mass shooting or act of terror takes place in Winnipeg.