Tactics and Rescue Unit

The Tactics and Rescue Unit of the OPP was formed in 1975 as a counter terrorist unit for the 1976 Olympics which had venues in Ontario. This unit was trained by British SAS and FBI Hostage Rescue.

Currently, officers within the OPP wishing to become members of this unit must have served a minimum of three years with exemplorary service. Then they may apply and if chosen undergo a battery of written exams along with psychological testing. After that they must attend an interview before a pannel board and pass a timed physical fitness test. Should the candidate be successful they then may be invited to attend a nine day selection course which is considered one of the most difficult non-military selection courses in the world. It is only after successfully completing all of the above requirements that the officer then begins their tactical training which is broken down into three levels but totals 14 weeks of training. If successful they then may be placed onto one of the "teams" where their physical and tactically training will continue along with opportunities for more specialized training such as sniper, explosive disposal and rappel master to name a few. Today the OPP TRU team has evolved into one of the top 5 Hostage Rescue Teams in North America.