Page 13 - Top Cover Issue 18

SUMMER 2023 TOP COVER 13

Northamptonshire Police's
Armed Response Unit
There were 388 deployments
in Northamptonshire in the
financial year 2022/23 – an 18.6%
increase from the previous year
– with 338 spontaneous and 50
pre-planned deployments.
Officers have exclusive access
to a range of vehicles including
Volvo XC90s, BMW X5s, BMW
X3s, and an armoured Land
Rover. They also have access to
a number of bespoke vehicles to
support surveillance operations.
The team is expected to
maintain armed support to
the force in respect of general
policing and to respond to the
demands of counter-terrorism.
They are responsible for
the 24/7 spontaneous armed
response to incidents, in addition
to supporting the roads policing
response to serious and fatal road
traffic collisions.
• 50 AFOs across five teams
working a 24/7, four on four
off, 10-week shift pattern
• 12 armed response vehicles
• On-site staffed armouries for
both training and operational
weaponry
• On-site interactive 180-degree
range used for judgemental
live fire training
• Built-in dedicated training
weeks
• Support of a fully operationally
deployable training team
• 50-metre drive in indoor range
able to accommodate vehicle-
based tactics training
• Range designed to allow
building spaces to be created
for building tactics training
• One of a select number of
forces that provide firearms
commander training
• Officers equipped with/have
access to: Glock 17 sidearm,
556 calibre Lewis Machine
Tool (LMT) carbine (both long

WWW.PFOA.CO.UK