11364 (2024). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Police

11364 (2024). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Police: How many times, if any, have the Armed Offenders Squad been called out since 27 November 2023, broken down by district?

Hon Mark Mitchell: I am advised that there were 130 emergency and 484 pre-planned recorded Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) callouts between 27 November 2023 and 30 April 2024, nationally. I refer the Member to the attached tables, which show these by incident district, month, and callout type, as at 1 May 2024. Emergency deployments are highly dependent on demand and activity, with staff intervening to prevent harm in an immediate critical situation. On the other hand, pre-planned deployments typically involve activity that relates to searching properties to seize unlawfully held weapons or drugs, or locating wanted persons, and may be the culmination of many months or years of preliminary investigations. Pre-planned deployments also include prevention patrols conducted to provide community reassurance and increase the availability of tactically trained staff to support the frontline following significant firearms related local events or heightened periods of gang tensions. This data is drawn from a dynamic operational database and is subject to change as new information is recorded or updated.