Metropolitan Police Specialist Training
Centre SO19 Firearms Training
ARV ENTRY FIREARMS STUDENT OFFICER CARE AND
SUPPORT PROVISION
This document explains the provision of advice,
care and support services available for Entry Level ARV Firearms
Course student officers within the Metropolitan Police Specialist
Training Centre (MPSTC).
1. INSTRUCTIONAL
STAFF
In addition to providing instruction and training,
members of the Instructional Staff act as first line managers
to the student officers. In this role they manage all aspects
of study support, welfare, discipline, sickness and personal issues
and act in a liaison and referral role to support units and other
advice providers.
2. COURSE DIRECTORS
Course Directors (Inspectors and Sergeants)
are responsible for the management of all staff and student officers
within their own intake. As such they have a responsibility for
all line management issues. Referrals are made by Course Directors
to the Head of Firearms Training (Chief Inspector) on matters
of welfare and discipline. The ratio of Instructors to students
is approximately 1:2.
3. WELFARE PROCEDURES
Officers requesting ARV firearms training must
complete an application form that is signed by both line manager
and OCU commander. This details why the officer wishes to undertake
the role but additionally covers other matters relating to the
wider questions of the carriage of firearms eg have they discussed
the matter with friends and relatives? Have they fully considered
the potential consequences of the carriage of firearms? SO19 has
a web site on the internal intranet, which contains information
on recruitment and training. Officers who are considered suitable
for training and pass this filter process are then allocated courses.
Officers are allocated a dedicated administration officer who
is responsible for all pre-course welfare and training issues.
They send out pre-read joining instructions and are available
for issues around training prior to attending the course. An instructor
mentor is appointed for each officer at the start of each course.
A bespoke ARV mentoring system is currently being developed. Mentors
have been selected and are currently being trained. Every student
has contact outside course hours with the course duty officer
who is available until 10.00 pm for additional training, development
and welfare issues and available after 10.00 pm through the reception
desk via mobile or pager for welfare issues. Each student has
a daily feedback from their dedicated instructor and on completion,
if students are successful, they receive a debrief and see their
course report through their OCU Commander. If they fail, a full
debrief takes place prior to leaving the site and a development
programme will be discussed and agreed eg if shooting skills are
the problem area, a one day re-authorisation could be agreed and
arranged.
4. POLICE FEDERATION
The Police Federation have full time representatives
on site and are available at all times to advise officers on a
wide range of issues. Federation representatives are available
for Constable, Sergeant and Inspector ranks. The Police Federation
address all intakes of ARV officers in welfare and post incident
procedure. The role of the Federation is fully explained along
with the assistance they can provide whilst the students are in
training throughout their armed duties and particularly post incident.
5. SAFETY ISSUES
Officers attending ARV entry training are given
full access to protective equipment appropriate to the exercise
and location being trained. Eg while on the range they wear ballistic
protection and glasses. Whilst undertaking simmunition training
they wear appropriate body protection as advised by the company
and a risk assessment for the exercise. Weapons and ammunition
are drawn as appropriate to the exercise by nationally qualified
instructors and handed back in to the armourer at the end of that
specific training. Officers have no unsupervised access to firearms
or ammunition. Full specific risk assessments are carried out
for each individual training exercise.
6. POST INCIDENT
PROCEDURES
All officers attending ARV Entry Level firearms
training are given a full input on action taken post incident.
They are instructed on all issues of the subsequent investigation
and the welfare facilities available to them. They are made fully
conversant with how to obtain advice from the Police Federation,
Legal services and Occupational Health. They are made aware of
the return to operational duties procedure and the debriefing
processes.
HOSTAGE RELEASE,
ANTI-TERRORISM
AND EXPLOSIVES
TRAINING
The nature of the Operational sensitivity in
these areas is not suitable for inclusion in a public document
but the general provisions of welfare support to officers engaged
in these roles is similar to those across the Metropolitan Police
Service.
In operational events risk assessments are conducted
by Investigating Officers normally in the rank of Detective Inspector
and in many cases consideration will need to be given to the armed
involvement of SO19 officers. Where this occurs the provisions
of Firearms training from SO19 apply.
There is a service level support programme entitled
"Under Pressure" and a trauma support call-out facility
which is utilised which is under the direction of the Occupational
Health Department.
Following recent de-briefing events it has been
proposed that the general awareness of officers be raised in relation
to trauma support programmes and this will be a training Intervention.
Proposals have also been made to include an Occupational Heath
Advisor at the operational de-brief.
May 2004
GLOSSARY OF
TERMS
|
| ACPO | Association of Chief Police Officers
|
|
| ARV | Armed Response Vehicle
|
| ARV Entry Course | The three week residential firearms course during which students learn to use the Glock 17 pistol and tactics appropriate to the ARV role.
|
| AWARE | The Metropolitan Police IT platform (e-mails, Intranet and other windows-based packages)
|
| BOCU | Borough Operational Command Unit
|
| C3i Project | Command, Control, Communication and Information Project
|
| CID | Criminal Investigation Department
|
| CO | Commissioner's Office |
| CO11/12 | Metropolitan Police Public Order Branch
|
| COMETS | The Metropolitan Police Sports and Social Association
|
| CS Spray | 2-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile (CS) spray
|
| DOIT | Development and Organisation Improvement Team
|
| DTD | Directorate of Training and Development
|
| GFLB | Gravity Friction Lock Baton (asp)
|
| HR | Human Resources |
| HR3(7) | Cost Centre Code |
| KEE | Knowledge Evaluation Exercise
|
| MPS | Metropolitan Police Service
|
| MPSTC | Metropolitan Police Specialist Training Centre
|
| NLP | Neuro-Linguistic Programming
|
| OCU | Operational Command Unit
|
| OH | Occupational Health |
| OST | Officer Safety Training
|
| PCU | Pastoral Care Unit |
| PPCT | Pressure Point Compliance Technique
|
| PS | Police Sergeant |
| PT | Physical Training |
| Regulation 15 | Recommendation for the dispensation of services (probationers), Police Regulations 1995
|
| RTS | Recruit Training School, Hendon.
|
| SEE | Skills Evaluation Exercise
|
| SO | Specialist Operations |
| SO5 | Child Protection |
| SSDU | Student Support and Development Unit, part of the Recruit Training School
|
| White Notes | Study material that Student Police Constables are given to learn from
|
| WWAU | Written Work Assessment Unit
|
|
| 
