When RCMP officers were involved in a standoff with a suspect last month south of Winnipeg, they had an armoured vehicle at their disposal.
Now, the Winnipeg Police Service will have one too.
An armoured vehicle, known as a Gurkha, is set to roll into Winnipeg. The police service says the RCMP shootings in Moncton and the summer bombing of a downtown Winnipeg law firm prompted the move.
The vehicle will be used to transport members of the tactical support unit and emergency personal in dangerous situations like standoffs and gun calls.
"This is about protecting officers in very high profile stressful events," said Supt. Gord Perrier. "On a general threshold it's about weapons. If weapons are present, this is where that vehicle will come into play."
Many police services across the country already have an armoured vehicle in their fleet. Winnipeg police paid $343,000 for its new set of wheels.
Criminologist Michael Weinrath is questioning the purchase. He says budgets are tight, crime is dropping and he worries people will view this as the militarization of Winnipeg's police force.
"Suddenly you see this big, black armoured vehicle rolling down the street where the message is 'we're afraid of people',” said Weinrath.
Police stress the Gurkha can't be converted to a military-style vehicle and weapons can't be attached.
It’s set to arrive in Winnipeg in the spring.
