Smith & Wesson Corp. said it has received confirmation from the South Australia Police Force (SAPOL) that it will arm its 4,000-officer frontline force with the company's M&P40 pistols.
SAPOL conducted a field trial during 2008 in which 502 operational country and metropolitan police officers received training in the safe handling and use of the M&P pistol and carried the firearm in an operational environment. Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Burns, said, “Feedback from our officers was very positive and they welcome the introduction of the semi-automatic M&P40. The M&P40 has a number of enhanced features and is a good fit for policing purposes in South Australia. It will replace the Smith & Wesson .357 revolver which was previously standard issue.”
SAPOL joins a growing number of police departments across the globe where the M&P pistol is currently standard issue. Those include Trinidad and Tobago Police Services, Sindh Police Agency in Pakistan, Halton Regional Police Service in Canada, Nuclear Security Agency in France, United Nations Security Force in the Netherlands, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) Agencies in Italy, Mexico, and Thailand, as well as Atlanta Police Department, Charlotte Police Department, Syracuse Police Department and numerous additional law enforcement and security divisions across the United States.
Acting Police Minister for the Government of South Australia, Michael Atkinson, said, “We're always striving to equip our officers with the most up-to-date crime fighting gear available and I am pleased that the trial of these firearms was such a success. The new M&P40 pistols will be rolled out to officers in the near future. This Government is serious about ensuring our police have state-of-the-art equipment to carry out their day to day duties and this latest announcement is certainly another step forward.”
