armed response unit

British

noun

(in Britain) a unit of police officers who are trained to use firearms in situations where unarmed police officers would be in danger

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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armed response unit

The officers were ordered not to stop the gunman because an armed response unit was being despatched from Inverness, 100 miles away.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

Gardaí, including an armed response unit, were called to the house shortly before 10:00 local time on Monday.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025

PC Daniel Cooper, part of the armed response unit from Merseyside Police, was the first officer on the scene.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2023

A painting and decorating job ends with a visit from the armed response unit.

From The Guardian ● May 5, 2020

Police Scotland said a total of 275 officers, members of the armed response unit, carry weapons when they are on shift.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023