SAPOL Completes Trials; Selects Military & Police Pistols for
4,000-Officer Department
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smith & Wesson
Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: SWHC), parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp.,
the legendary 157-year old company in the global business of safety, security,
protection and sport, announced today that it has received confirmation from
the South Australia Police Force (SAPOL) that it will arm its 4,000-officer
frontline force with the Company's M&P40 pistols.
SAPOL conducted a field trial during 2008 in which 502 operational country
and metropolitan police officers received training in the safe handling and
use of the M&P pistol and carried the firearm in an operational environment.
Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Burns, said, "Feedback from our officers was
very positive and they welcome the introduction of the semi-automatic M&P40.
The M&P40 has a number of enhanced features and is a good fit for policing
purposes in South Australia. It will replace the Smith & Wesson .357 revolver
which was previously standard issue."
SAPOL joins a growing number of police departments across the globe where
the M&P pistol is currently standard issue. Those include Trinidad and Tobago
Police Services, Sindh Police Agency in Pakistan, Halton Regional Police
Service in Canada, Nuclear Security Agency in France, United Nations Security
Force in the Netherlands, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) Agencies in Italy,
Mexico, and Thailand, as well as Atlanta Police Department, Charlotte Police
Department, Syracuse Police Department and numerous additional law enforcement
and security divisions across the United States.
Acting Police Minister for the Government of South Australia, Michael
Atkinson, said, "We're always striving to equip our officers with the most
up-to-date crime fighting gear available and I am pleased that the trial of
these firearms was such a success. The new M&P40 pistols will be rolled out to
officers in the near future. This Government is serious about ensuring our
police have state-of-the-art equipment to carry out their day to day duties
and this latest announcement is certainly another step forward."
Officials at the agency indicated that in addition to delivering a higher
magazine capacity than the previously issued revolvers, the M&P40 excelled in
several key performance areas. The M&P40 was acknowledged to possess superior
safety features, including a mechanism that prevents the pistol from firing if
dropped and a sear release lever that eliminates the need to press the trigger
in order to disassemble the firearm.
Engineered to become the handgun of choice for global law enforcement and
military personnel, the M&P pistol design is based on input from numerous law
enforcement and military organizations. Manufactured with a Zytel(R) polymer
frame reinforced with a rigid stainless steel chassis and a through-hardened
black Melonite(R) finished stainless steel barrel and slide for added
durability, the M&P pistol benefits from enhanced shootability along with a
reduction in felt recoil. Other standard features of the M&P pistol include
three interchangeable grips sizes; an ambidextrous slide stop; a reversible
magazine release and a loaded chamber indicator located on the top of the
slide. The M&P40 pistol features a 15+1 round capacity magazine. Each M&P
pistol comes standard with the Smith & Wesson lifetime service policy. The M&P
pistol series is available in 9mm, .40S&W, .357SIG, and .45ACP calibers.
Compact versions of the M&P pistol are also available for concealed carry and
back-up use.
Leland Nichols, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Smith &
Wesson Corp., said, "As a long-time customer of Smith & Wesson, SAPOL has
employed Smith & Wesson revolvers in the line of duty for many years. We are
proud to continue to partner with SAPOL, and we are pleased to add them to the
growing list of international law enforcement agencies and security divisions
that have purchased M&P Series pistols for duty use."
About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a global leader in safety, security,
protection and sport, is parent company to Smith & Wesson Corp., one of the
world's largest manufacturers of quality firearms and firearm safety/security
products and parent company to Thompson/Center Arms Company, Inc., a premier
designer and manufacturer of premium hunting rifles, black powder rifles,
interchangeable firearms systems and accessories under the Thompson/Center
brand. Smith & Wesson licenses shooter protection, knives, apparel, and other
accessory lines. Smith & Wesson is based in Springfield, Massachusetts with
manufacturing facilities in Springfield, Houlton, Maine, and Rochester, New
Hampshire. The Smith & Wesson Academy is America's longest running firearms
training facility for law enforcement, military and security professionals.
For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to
www.smith-wesson.com. For more information on Thompson/Center Arms, log on to
www.tcarms.com.
Contacts:
Liz Sharp, VP Investor Relations
Smith & Wesson Holding Corp.
(480) 949-9700 x. 115
lsharp@smith-wesson.com
Industry Contact: Gary Giudice
Blue Heron Communications
(800) 654-3766
gary@blueheroncomm.com
SOURCE Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation
Web Site: http://www.smith-wesson.com
http://www.tcarms.com