Snatch squad

A snatch squad refers to two tactics used by police in riot control and crowd control.

Snatch squad in riot control

The snatch squad in riot control involves several police officers, usually wearing protective riot gear, rushing forwards—occasionally in a flying wedge formation—to break through the front of a crowd, with the objective of snatching one or more individuals from a riot that are attempting to control the demonstration at which they are present. The target may be a leader or a speaker, or someone who seems to be leading the crowd.

In one British form of the tactic, three or four officers rush at a group of violent or disorderly people, with two of the officers carrying batons and the others a shield. The officer with the shield rushes the most violent in the group and forces the subject between the shield and a fixed object, while the other officers either arrest the others or escort them out of the crowds.

Plainclothes snatch squads

A snatch squad may also refer to plainclothes police officers apprehending individuals, often in a looting situation. Often the plainclothes police officer(s) will mingle with crowds intent on causing trouble and appear to be a bystander. The undercover officers can arrest any individual attempting to break or loot a store, often in an isolated scenario with few crowds as not to provoke retribution against the officers.

This tactic was used during the rioting in England in late summer 2011, most notably by Greater Manchester Police who deployed it in Manchester city centre on 9 August 2011.

Snatch squads may be indistinguishable from an illegal kidnapping or arrest until hours or days after the incident. Jaggi Singh was detained in this manner during the 1997 APEC Summit protests at UBC in Vancouver. Witnesses tried to intervene to protect Singh, assuming the arrest was unlawful. (Indeed, the legality of the arrest was never proved, for after the protest the police dropped the charges that had warranted the arrest.) This tactic may lead to dangerous violent confrontations if bystanders genuinely believe they need to use force to stop a crime. It is an intimidating act that has some resemblance to tactics used by secret police.

Images

• Police snatch squad who have grabbed a photographer and dragged him over the railings, Seattle, 20 June 2002
• German police snatch squad ready for action (6th image on page)