Calls about suspicious packages can be some of the most dangerous police officers deal with.
A bomb goes off in an instant, meaning every second counts and more often than not, officers have no idea what's they’re dealing with.
"This is a very strategic position the approach that you take to explosive ordinances is very controlled,” says Toronto police Const. Kevin Georgopoulos. “There is a system in place for everything that we encounter.”
It's a system some police officers from around Ontario are learning at this explosives course in a gravel pit in Caledon. The focus at this session is suspicious packages.
The day is broken up into two parts: Learning how to operate a robot safely and becoming comfortable in a bomb suit.
The suit is made of Kevlar and plastic layers. Officers must wear it if they need to get close – something they only do as a last resort.
"Everything we want to do we try and keep the operator out of the bomb suit. The robot is an excellent piece of kit that allows us to remotely take care of these packages,” says Peel Regional Police Sgt. Alan Scott. “It gives you the greater protection to be away from a hazardous situation.”
It's actually water that ends up playing a key role in getting the job done.
"We're showing them different water disruption techniques for suspicious packages, and just the safety concerns that go with them. Whether they're operating the robots or working in the bomb suit."
In this scenario, water is used to separate the suspicious package in a way that will disable it and keep it from exploding.
"(It) allows the operator to declare the area safe once the components are separated and apart from one another," says Scott.
Officers need at least three years of policing experience to take part in this training. Many who enrol don't have much experience with explosives.
"The training has been fantastic going from having limited exposure at our home service to coming down here and getting the full gamut of everything we'll be exposed to,” says Waterloo Regional Police Const. Michael Force.
