Police training at the
HMS Ganges site

Local policeman Chris Garrod has informed the Parish Council that the former HMS Ganges site is currently being used by the Police for training.

The Suffolk Constabulary have regular training exercises to ensure that all staff with specialist skills are kept up to date with the roles they may perform. These training exercises often incorporate officers from surrounding forces as well as ours, in order to get the most out of the training and to ensure uniformity across the region. The training exercises are for such specialist roles as Riot and public order, inc petrol bombs, building entries for barricaded premises, firearms, tactical assaults, crowd control and field medics as well as dog training for searching premises and detaining persons/controlling crowds.

Chris says that "obviously finding suitable sites to carry out these training exercises is sometimes a problem. Until recently the Force used the old RAF Bentwaters site, however, this has been deemed unsafe due to the degeneration of asbestos. Therefore alternative sites were sought. Permission was given for the old Ganges site at Shotley Gate to be used for these purposes as it isn't currently being used."

"The influx of police vehicles and staff you have seen in Shotley [on 31 January & 1 February] has been for Riot Training. There will be further training on 7 and 8 February. The vast numbers of officers that were seen and will be seen, have been taken off duty strength or are on cancelled rest days in order to carry out their essential and necessary training. The training is not always done during the day as 'night time' scenarios are often carried out."

"The training these officers carry out is essential for the safety and well being of all members of public. You may recall that a few years back, there was a siege at a house in Shotley Gate where a male barricaded himself into a house with a firearm. The officers that dealt with that incident had been on the above courses that are run at least twice a year. Due to their training, this incident passed without incident and everyone remained safe, inc members of the public, the suspect and officers."

Chris has previously been a Riot trained officer and a field medic on the Riot squad as well as an advanced trained personnel driver. He says the training is extremely strenuous and exhausting. From experience he knows that it is also essential, because he has had to put many of the techniques into practice in real life situations, whilst on duty. Obviously the training has to take into account all possible scenarios and therefore, not all of the scenarios that are trained for will be used in real life situations. However, we have to train for any possible event, including a chemical bomb attack, so that if the worst does happen, we are prepared and know how to deal with it.

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