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Gimborn –
Street Survival Training
Phil White
, Devon & Cornwall branch
On this week long course I made new friends and experienced some amazing
immersive training. So let me tell you about what happened.
A
fter an introduction to the course
, Slavo Godszik and Rob
Stenhouse took us through the Explosive Self Defence System
(E.S.D.S.), the signature empty hand technique of the Defensive
Tactics Group. After learning the basics, we tested the drills, from a startle
response, as you may not always see an attack coming. With my eyes closed,
I had no idea from where the attack would come, giving me an opportunity
to practice my tactical breathing (described in
On Combat
by Lt. Col. Dave
Grossman). This defence technique is surprisingly easy to remember and
requires you to switch on hard and fast to deal with the threat.
Tuesday included lessons on Point Shooting, with realistic BB firing pistols.
It was amazingly easy to get on target shots whilst moving and even falling
to the ground. We also did some Marauding Terrorist Attack drills, showing
what to do in a building where people are getting shot. This was much more
comprehensive than Run Hide Tell, the UK Government advice for civilians.
I would now feel more confident in circumstances where people were looking
to me to take charge and keep them safe.
On Wednesday we covered knife defence, which built nicely on the E.S.D.S.
training. The rest of the day was taken up with scenarios, set up to test
reactions and tactical communication skills, along with all the practical skills
we had learned. These were all staged in the beautiful castle surroundings.
Sometimes people say they have
difficulty completing scenarios,
I find it best to treat them as a real
incident and take the feedback with
an open mind, as there is always room for improvement.
Thursday was our Taser training day, which started with an opportunity to be
shot with a live Taser, which only six of the 19 chose to experience. This was
done very safely with two safety officers holding your arms, and lowering you
to the ground when you are shot and lose control of your muscles. It was just
as painful as I expected and a massive relief after the (incredibly long!) five
seconds were over. We then tried something different with the Taser. Hook
& Loop Training (H.A.L.T.) cartridges are Velcro hook darts fired from a Taser,
towards a subject wearing a suit made of
the loop part of Velcro system.
We had to deal with two trainers (in Velcro
suits) who were acting differently each time,
but mostly misbehaving and usually, but not
always, requiring a good Tasering!
It was a really well delivered course that
covered a lot of content.
Brandenburg
Exchange
Steve Hunt
, 10 Region Secretary
10 Region, in the South East of England,
confirmed their commitment to the International
Learning and Development Exchange Programme
(IDLP) with their regular two week visit of student
officers from Brandenburg, in Germany.
T
his year our Region
welcomed
student officers
Kristin Brockschnieder and
Niklas Nohl.
Their first week was
spent with uniform departments
and the second with Operation
RAPTOR, a drug enforced team who
work in plain clothes. They patrolled
with PCSO’s in the town centre,
meeting other Officers and some
local criminals dependent on drugs
or alcohol. For the rest of the week
the pair volunteered for night duty,
ensuring action packed shifts. The
shift they worked with was depleted
of staff and was grateful for two
additional Officers.
Their week on Operation RAPTOR
started with a 4am briefing at
Brentwood. They worked with
Officers from around the county
on a series of County-Lines raids.
Teams like Raptor do not exist in
Germany, so they found this work
very interesting.
Needless to say the students really
enjoyed their two weeks working
with Essex Police at Colchester.
They explained that, although
most of their colleagues visit
other countries, their experiences
are often classroom based. In
Essex, they were allowed to be
‘real-cops’ and left the UK with
fond memories. 10 Region IPA are
very grateful to Essex Police and
particularly the Command Team
at Colchester Police Station for
facilitating the students visit.
10 Region
Signal
Service
Steve Hunt
, 10 Region Secretary
Veteran member Duncan
Sheppard and his wife Tina
were presented with Signal
Service Certificates for their
contribution to the IDLP.
T
his was Duncan and
Tina’s
first experience of
hosting German Student
Police Officers, which they took
on with relish. This year Kristin
Brockschnieder and Niklas Nohl
took up the opportunity to visit
Colchester Police Station and
participate in UK style policing.
As well as hosting the visitors in
their home, Duncan and Tina took
them to restaurants
and arranged
home movie nights. Duncan also
took Niklas to his golf club as
he is a big golf fan. Duncan and
Tina’s efforts went above and
beyond their host duties and
were deemed worthy of official
recognition.
Both Tina and Duncan were
thrilled to be recognised but
Tina said that as far as she was
concerned it was all
part of their duties
and in any event she
enjoyed having children
back at home.
Tina and Duncan
Sheppard
Gimborn July 2019 attendees
HALT suits on display
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Professional Development
POLICE WORLD
Vol 64 No.4, 2019