High risk police training

Northamptonshire Police has developed a training package for its Response Officers, which has received international recognition and is being imitated by forces across the country.

The groundbreaking tuition, which was launched in May last year, is termed 'High Risk Scenario Training' and is devised to give officer's the tools they need to deal with and identify high-risk scenarios in the critical 'Golden Hour' - the first hour of an incident - when a mistake can have a huge impact on the outcome of that incident.

Participating officers receive 'in the field training' via the hypothetical real-time scenarios. Held at Kingswood School in Corby and the University in Northampton, with performing arts students taking part in the role play for each scenario is a great example of police and the local community working in partnership, and for officers to interact with youngsters and challenge their perception of what police officers do. The format for the training includes guest speakers from around the country, including family members who have lost loved ones because of police failings. These speakers bring into stark reality the implication of a high-risk incident going wrong.

Experts from each relevant department helped to develop the scenarios. Each one is based on real-life examples from each of the following crime categories:

• Domestic Abuse
• Missing Persons
• Critical Incidents
• Rape / Sudden Death
• ASB
• Suicidal Person

The success of the training is clear, with many examples of better management of serious crime, and by statistical evidence; complaints against the Incident Response Team have reduced by 33% based on latest figures, compared to the same time last year. Some of the recent success stories involved serious crime where the training matched a subsequent real-life incident and meant that improved recognition of risk and resulting actions lead to a much improved outcome.