Young people in Warwickshire help at regional firearms exercise
23 July 2010 12:28
Young people in Warwickshire help at regional firearms exercise
Young people from a Warwickshire school this week played a key part in a significant training exercise involving four regional police forces.
On Thursday, July 22, 60 sixth form students from North Leamington School volunteered to role play as part of the firearms training session.
The exercise, which involved a number of officers from Warwickshire Police, West Midlands Police, West Mercia Police and Staffordshire Police, was based on a scenario requiring an armed response to an incident at a school where staff and students were in danger from an armed offender.
A firearms instructor played the role of the armed man and the students at the school acted out a typical school environment into which officers were sent to protect everyone at the school and apprehend the offender.
No live ammunition was used in this exercise, which was closely managed in conjunction with and with the full support of the school in order to make it an entirely safe exercise for all participants. Nobody was ever in any risk of being hurt but the students allowed the exercise to be carried out with a realism which is vital for accurate training to be delivered.
The exercise was organised by Warwickshire Police and was designed to test the ability of the four forces to come together during an initial and spontaneous firearms operation using armed response vehicles. The aim was to learn how the four forces could improve how they work together as firearms teams in order that they can respond to incidents not just locally, but regionally and nationally.
The training exercise has been in the planning for the last four months and therefore organised well in advance of the recent incident in Northumbria but this incident highlights the importance of such training exercises.
Sergeant Ian Williams, a firearms instructor for Warwickshire Police, said: “Such large scale exercises play an important role in ensuring that Warwickshire Police and our regional partners are capable of delivering the very highest levels of protection from harm, at a local, regional and national level.
“The reason for choosing this particular scenario is that it tested a vast array of our skills and tactics that we could be called upon to use at any time. This does not mean that there is a greater risk of such an incident happening within the West Midlands region.
“This exercise would not have been made possible without the huge support and assistance given by the staff and pupils of North Leamington School. Their commitment and that of all the region’s police forces has been invaluable in making this training exercise the success it was."
David Winter, Head of Sixth Form at North Leamington School, said: "We are delighted to support the police in this venture as it provides them with the sort of experience they need to practise key elements of their work. In the wider sense it is a genuine way in which the school and the police can work together to support ‘community activities’ that benefit everybody in the long run."
Note to Editors
If you would like an interview with Sgt Williams please call Warwickshire Police Press Office on 01926 415065.
If you would like an interview with Mr Winter from North Leamington School please call 01926 338711.
Katie Quilley
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