Winnipeg police use armoured vehicle more than 30 times in 2018

The Winnipeg Police Service‘s armoured response vehicle was in high demand last year.

The ARV was used for tactical deployment 34 times in 2018, according to the city police board’s latest report.

Of those times, the vehicle was deployed on eight occasions for active firearm calls, including an incident in which the vehicle was shot at, the report says.

“Notably, one of these events included an active shooter situation in November 2018. The ARV sustained multiple shots directed at members, saving them from grievous harm or death,” police Chief Danny Smyth wrote in the report.

The ARV was also used 21 times for warrant executions, including four domestic violence situations and one abduction.

The vehicle attended multiple community engagement events as well, according to the report.

Smyth wrote that it’s important to bring the ARV to community events.

“Citizens appreciate having the opportunity to see the vehicle and discuss its role in providing a safer outcome to firearm events in Winnipeg,” he wrote.

The vehicle was purchased in 2015 for $342,800.

The vehicle is bulletproof, blast-proof and weighs around four times as much as a normal car.

The report will be presented to the Winnipeg Police Board on Friday.