Police launch new training after ‘reports of preventable harm’ and assaults on officers | UK News

“You are short of breath, lack of communication, there may be a change in skin color.”

PC Rob Green is listing just some of the choking hazard signs for a group of Metropolitan Police officers on duty in Hendon, North West London.

He is introducing a brand new program, developed by the College of Policing, on how to safely use force against someone who is fighting a police officer or resisting arrest.

Sky News had exclusive access to the training, which uses role-play and scenarios to train officers on reducing the use of restraints and use of force.

First, the officers role-play an interaction with one of their own, playing the role of a vulnerable member of the public, while facing “abuse” while trying to do their job.

Then another officer offers to be “arrested” for fighting. He shouts that he is ‘not going to a cell’, then is pinned to the floor, handcuffed, tied at the legs and ankles and carried to a ‘cell’.

The training is called Public and Personal Safety Training (PPST) and has been developed in conjunction with Avon and Somerset Police, and Professor Chris Cushion from Loughborough University.

It was introduced in England and Wales and must be repeated over two days every year by all officers on duty.

Andy Marsh, head of the College of Policing, told Sky News the training was driven by a “number of reports about preventable harm, even deaths of people arrested by police. officers.”

He emphasizes that it all comes down to “the idea of ​​de-escalation”.

“We don’t want to use force. We want to avoid it if possible. And in fact, what we’ve seen is a very significant reduction in the use of force by officers who have been trained with this new PPST.”

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The College of Policing says a pilot of the training resulted in 1,200 fewer use-of-force incidents over a 12-month period.

Before training began, the average Avon and Somerset police officer ‘used force’ in his job six times a year. This value has now fallen to five times – a reduction of 11%.

They also say they have seen a drop in assaults on police officers.

Officers taking part in training at Hendon are training in skills they can use on a daily basis.

PC Ugurcan Dayan says that “doing more scenario-based training helps you retain those useful tactics to go out there and make sure people stay safe.”

Their supervisor, Sergeant Harjot Sehmi, says he protects officers by keeping them up to date with current guidance and legislation.

But policing is becoming increasingly contentious and contentious, with most interactions seconds from being recorded on a smartphone and spread across the internet.

Last month, footage emerged of a police officer appearing to stamp on a man’s head during an arrest at Manchester Airport – sparking huge protests.

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Marsh suggests that in addition to implementing this new training, police chiefs should be more proactive in releasing body camera footage following controversial arrests or viral incidents.

“I’m not going to comment specifically on this case, but I wrote guidance in 2020 that was issued to all police chiefs that actually advise[d] the type of circumstances in which body worn video should be released and should certainly be considered released even when a criminal case was ongoing.

“And some of the circumstances that lead to this are where there is enormous public and press interest, particularly where the release of body worn video could actually help prevent serious violence or serious disorder.”

This summer’s riots highlighted the threat police officers face from the public – the people they have a duty to protect. Hopefully this new training will make this difficult job a little easier.