Armed Offenders Squad

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Armed Offenders Squad
Armed Offenders Squad Patch
Active	1964 - Present
Branch	New Zealand Police
Role	Domestic Counter-Terrorism and Law Enforcement
Size	None, mostly manned by volunteer officers

AOS officers

The Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) is a specialist unit of the New Zealand Police designed to "cordon, contain and appeal to" armed and dangerous offenders.

The AOS draw upon a varied arsenal of weapons and are often seen in heavy body armour. By contrast, most front-line police officers in New Zealand are lightly protected and do not carry firearms (see main New Zealand Police article).

1 History
2 Requirements
3 Equipment
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

The AOS was formally started by NZ SAS soldier Shocker Shaw and Police inspector Perry in 1964, in response to the deaths of four police officers in two separate incidents - one in Lower Hutt, Wellington and one in Waitakere, Auckland - that involved firearms.

[edit] Requirements

All AOS members are volunteers drawn from the New Zealand Police. They must complete highly rigorous training, and applications are carefully screened. An officer must have served at least two years after their graduation from the Police College before being eligible for membership.

Posting to the AOS is not a full-time duty, and members are officially members of other branches such as the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) or general duties. In the event of an incident requiring AOS attendance, the on-duty officers will be paged by the communications centre. They then assemble at their base, to draw arms and get other equipment, before responding the scene.

[edit] Equipment

In keeping with the weapons available to front-line officers, the AOS are issued with Glock 17 pistols and Bushmaster M4A3 carbines. Other weapons include pump-action shotguns and tear gas.

When responding to incidents, or executing planned operations, AOS officers utilize both standard marked and unmarked cars, and large four-wheel drive vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Suburban. These are fitted with running boards and roof rails, to allow officers to stand on the side while the vehicle is in motion, as well as having enclosed boxes on the roof for carrying equipment.

Deployed AOS officers dress in the standard charcoal-coloured tactical clothing worn by police special forces around the world.