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Glite Dictionary
Special Weapons and Tactics squad

Special Weapons and Tactics squad

4.6
A police unit trained to handle violent situations like hostage crises and armed standoffs
  • noun
  • /ˈspɛʃəl ˈwɛpənz ənd ˈtæktɪks skwɑd/
  • US
translation icon : unidad de Armas y Tácticas Especiales
  • Maybe four or five CLCs, a couple of IPs (Iraqi police), a couple of SWATs (Special Weapons and Tactics), ISF (Iraqi Security Forces).
  • Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)

Examples

  • The Jamestown Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics Team was called to the scene along with the department's Critical Response Team to assist with the situation.

    Blog text (12)

  • Then there's the deployment of a quasi-military Special Weapons and Tactics unit, ostensibly organized to counter heavily armed threats, against people who clearly aren't concealing weapons or anything else.

    Academic text (2010)

  • The Special Weapons and Tactics squad was deployed to manage the hostage situation safely.

  • When a dangerous standoff occurred downtown, the police called in the Special Weapons and Tactics team for support.

  • The training of the Special Weapons and Tactics squad is crucial for handling high-risk police operations.

Synonyms

SWAT team
vsSpecial Weapons and Tactics squad
  • US
49 3.9

A group of police trained to handle dangerous incidents like hostage situations

is the same but often appears as a different common label
SWAT squad
vsSpecial Weapons and Tactics squad
  • US
5.8

A police team trained to handle violent, dangerous events like armed standoffs or hostage crises

has identical meaning but uses a different term form
Special Weapons and Tactics team
vsSpecial Weapons and Tactics squad
  • US
3.7

A group of police officers with special training and weapons who handle very dangerous situations like armed suspects or hostages

stresses training and skill rather than equipment

Surface Forms

Special Weapons and Tactics squad singular
Special Weapons and Tactics squads plural

Morphology

special + weapon + and + tactics + squad

All constituents contribute directly to the overall meaning: 'special' (designed for a purpose) modifies 'weapons and tactics' (armament and strategies), and 'squad' denotes a small unit, so a learner who knows these words can infer a small, specially equipped/strategized police unit for dangerous situations. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common, making the phrase readily understandable to a B1 learner familiar with the component words.

Etymology

Special Weapons and Tactics squad is a literal name: imagine a small police team with special weapons and planned tactics who go into dangerous places to rescue people or stop armed criminals. So, the phrase means 'a police unit trained to handle violent and dangerous situations'.