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What is the full form of SWAT?

By Anushree Goswami Last updated : April 20, 2024

SWAT is an abbreviation of "Special Weapons and Tactics". It alludes to a law enforcement team of the finest police officers who use specialized or military equipment and strategies in the United States. The team is skilled and qualified to hold and manage high-risk operations that are ahead of the skills and capabilities of normal police officers.

The regular responsibilities of the SWAT team comprise hostage rescue, counter-terrorism operations, arresting heavily-armed criminals, etc. Other countries also have their unique and extraordinary teams and also have to build up their own paramilitary police units (PPUs) which are also illustrated as or equivalent to SWAT forces to hold and manage such situations.

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT

SWAT History

In the 1960s, The SWAT was first created to look after and protect the cities for the duration of riots or violent terrorist attacks.

In the 1980s and 1990s throughout the War on Drugs and afterward, in the consequences of the September 11 attacks, the number and usage of SWAT teams increased. As of 2005, SWAT teams were moved into position for military action 50,000 times every year, nearly 80% of the time to serve search warrants, mainly repeatedly for narcotics.

SWAT teams are over and over again equipped with automatic and specialized firearms, comprising submachine guns, assault rifles, riot shotguns, sniper rifles, riot guns, riot control agents, tear gas, smoke, and stun grenades. In the process of addition, they may use specialized equipment comprising heavy body armor, ballistic shields, entry tools, armored vehicles, thermal and night vision devices, and motion detectors for secretly determining the locations of hostages or hostage takers, within enclosed arrangements.

SWAT Eligibility Criteria

There are definite criteria that must be completed to become a SWAT officer. The police officer must have provided service for a particular term or occupancy before applying for such special and extraordinary teams. He has to qualify physical agility, oral, written, psychological and a variety of other tests to verify his fitness and suitability to be a part of the SWAT.

SWAT Equipments

• SWAT teams use equipment designed for various professional and expert situations comprising close-quarters combat (CQC) in an urban environment.
• The specific parts of equipment differ from team to team, but there are several unfailing trends in what they wear and use.
• A large amount of their equipment is impossible to tell apart from that supplied to the military, not slightest because to a great extent of it is a military superfluity.