Const. Tyler Loewen says any time his unit is deployed their main goal is to ensure situations are resolved safely. 

Loewen is coming towards the end of his five year run with the Winnipeg Police Service's Tactical Support Team and was at a recent armed and barricaded incident on Bannerman Ave. where a 16-year-old suspect fired at officers. 

He says when they arrive to a scene like that, their job is to support general patrol members, incident commanders, crisis negotiators and other units. 

"I can speak for myself and members of the team that we're extremely dedicated to making sure that the situation is resolved safely for us and the suspects we're taking into custody." Loewen said. "That's why we have extra traning and extra tools to resolve those situations." 

"We're just a piece of the puzzle and we all work together and rely on each other completely." 

Loewen was at Bannerman during the standoff and says it was a tense incident, especially after the suspect opened fire on officers and struck a police cruiser and the armoured rescue vehicle.

"I'm not going to lie, it's an extremely stressful situation for members of any unit or anyone who is walking by there," Loewen said. "We're scared just like anybody else would be, and it's just about managing that fear and making sure everyone gets home safe to their families."

"That's our goal at the end of the day." 

Loewen says the armoured rescue vehicle was vital in providing cover for officers, something a regular cruiser can't do. 

"We've learned from other agencies in Canada that vehicles tend to be bullet magnets," Loewen said while pointing to bullet holes in a police cruiser that was at the Bannerman standoff. "It allows us to have that capability to avoid things like this." 

In a span of three weeks in late October/early November, the Winnipeg Police Service responded to four separate armed and barricaded situations.