Note: The location of this scenario has been changed to 2200 block of Elphinstone.
The Regina Police Service is advising the media and members of the public of a scheduled training scenario for Regina Police Service Emergency Services teams taking place Wednesday, June 4, 2014, from approximately 9:00 a.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m. at a house on the block of 1600 Garnet Street 2200 block of Elphinstone.
This training; which will involve members of the Crisis Negotiator Team, Explosives Disposal Unit and Special Weapons and Tactics Team; is part of a schedule of training events that take place throughout the year. Wednesday’s exercise will get underway at about 8:30 a.m. and will wrap up by approximately 3:30 p.m. Members of the public will not notice any unusual activity around the building but there will likely be a number of police vehicles, including the Explosives Disposal Unit truck, in the area for much of the day. Another vehicle used in the training, thanks to a loan agreement with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police “F” Division, is a Tactical Armoured Vehicle, or TAV. It is, as its name suggests, an armoured vehicle to be used in situations that require a heightened tactical presence. An example of such a situation may be: a barricaded suspect, with a firearm, with a clear line of sight to an injured victim, who is exposed and unable to move to safety. In such a situation, police officers would need protection/cover in order to approach and rescue the injured person.
Residents in the area of the 1600 block of Garnet Street 2200 block of Elphinstone are assured that the presence of these vehicles does not indicate a real emergency and there is no live ammunition used in police training scenarios in the city. Schools in the area are also notified. Because the primary goal is training, there will be limited opportunities for media interviews and visuals; however, the Regina Police Service felt it important to advise the media and public of this event so that people do not become unnecessarily alarmed. If a real incident should develop while these training exercises are in progress, the Regina Police Service would immediately notify the public.
