New handguns for police
Adelaide Advertiser, Page: 1. Tuesday, 22 April, 2008
South Australia’s 2000 frontline police officers will be armed with semi-automatic handguns from June.
The state-of-the-art Smith & Wesson M&P (military and police) 40 calibre pistols will be issued to selected officers before being introduced to all patrol and operation police.
The trial is not expected to exceed three months, then the semi-automatic pistol will replace the ageing .357 Smith & Wesson revolver as the standard issue police weapon.
STAR Group officers already use semi-automatic weapons because of their specialist role. The trial involves 350 officers and will start in June.
Motorcycle officers in Adelaide’s northern (metropohtan) traffic enforcement section will be first to use the new weapon. The trial will later be extended to officers in the far north of the state, then to the Sturt local service area in Adelaide.
SAPOL says the Smith & Wesson MP 40 was selected over its rivals because of its superior safety features and its compatibility with weapons used by other Australian police.
Deputy Commissioner Gary Burns said the trial areas were selected because of their "range of conditions" including harsh weather, dust and dirt to test the reliability of the pistol.
If the trial is successful, the gun will be issued to all frontline officers within three years. During the trial, officers will routinely carry and train with the semiautomatic handgun while other operational police will continue to use the Smith & Wesson revolver.
APOL will trial two models of the new gun, a standard weapon for uniformed officers and a smaller model for plain-clothed police.
"Both models have been manufactured specifically for police use so they are fit for our purpose and, importantly, offer enhanced operational safety features," Mr Burns said.
The Smith & Wesson MP4O has enhanced safety features compared to the .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. Safety features of the MP 40 include a passive trigger safety which prevents the firearm from discharging until the trigger is fully depressed, even if the weapon is dropped.
It also includes an optional "internal lock" to prevent the gun being fired by unauthorised users.
Newly elected SA Police Association president Mark Carroll said it was appropriate SA’s patrol officers had semi-automatic weapons.
Mr Carroll said association officials would inspect the new pistol today.
"The association has lobbied SAPOL and the Government for a long time about providing semiautomatic handguns to replace the revolvers," he said. "We... look forward to our members being provided with the best possible tool-of-trade." Acting Police Minister Michael Wright said he welcomed the replacement of the existing standard-issue revolver.
"The Government recognises that our police need to be provided with state-of the-art equipment to enable them to protect the community without jeopardising their own health and wellbeing," Mr Wright said.
"It is vitally important that SAPOL has the opportunity to carefully determine the best and safest weapon for our officers." The most common semiautomatic weapon used by other states is the Glock pistol. The Smith & Wesson revolver in current use has been plagued with problems as a result of worn parts and insufficient maintenance resulting in hundreds being replaced in recent years.
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