The RCMP has some new high tech toys at its disposal.

The Emergency Response Team has unveiled Nova Scotia’s first police tactical armored vehicle as well as a new 10-metre rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB).

RCMP Superintendent Frank Foran says the new boat and truck will compliment what they already have.

“We had RHIB’s before but not of that stature and the safety requirements weren’t there compared to this one,” he explains. “This is just an evolution and it enhances officer and public safety which is paramount in this business.”

He adds the equipment reflects the changing landscape of crime fighting.

“It allows us to get to high risk situations in a safe manner, that allows us to get inside the perimeter, and allows us to negotiate and hopefully end situations peacefully with non-lethal action,” says Foran.

It’s part of a nation-wide purchase that saw several provinces invest in a total of $14-million worth of new equipment.

About $640,000 of the bill in Nova Scotia was footed by the province; the other 30 per cent was picked up by the federal government.

Justice minister Ross Landry says it’s a pro-active purchase.

“One of the consistent commitments that this government and this department has is to be strategically focused, assessing risks and potential risk and implement a planned approach to addressing our needs,” he explains.

Landry adds it’s money well spent.

“You need to reflect what’s happening on a global basis,” says Landry. “With international crime, terrorism and drug trafficking, organized crime is looking for new ways to infiltrate areas and of course our sea coast has no shortage of that.”

He says the policing community made it clear it had a need, and this new equipment helps fill it.