As part of the new glasnost of the Metropolitan Police Service, Freedom was recently invited to visit the Public Order Training Centre in Gravesend. Okay, not Freedom as such, but Police Consultative whatisname … anyhow, they let us in.
Our little party was taken round by a Public Order Instructor – let’s call him Dougal – with six years experience as a trainer and a background in the Territorial Support Group.
Dougal started by explaining the three levels of public order training and what it involved, before leading us into a gym where a group of Level Twos were waiting. One of these helpfully took off his protective gear so we could see how it worked. The full kit is very cumbersome and requires help to get in and out. Dougal also explained its drawbacks, the weight of the helmet leading to whiplash injuries when the head is hit. Hard plastic knee shin and thigh guards have reduced mobility, but were considered necessary after the 2002 Millwall riot where many officers using short shields received leg injuries.
Next we got to handle the shields themselves. The short shield weighs two kilos and the long shield eight kilos. The other big difference is that the long shield is flexible to help absorb the impact of heavy missile, while the short shield is rigid and can be used offensively. When doing so you should aim at nipple height, Dougal said, to avoid neck and facial injuries.
Even more sweetly, Dougal praised the short shield as it was easier to communicate with people while holding it, whereas the long shield hinders eye contact and is more difficult to hold innocuously by your side.
Turning up the heat
Next we got to visit Lola Court, where the petrol bomb training happens. This little close, with an inner courtyard, features a tunnel entrance to get the experience of fire in an enclosed space and overhead balconies to practice attacks from above á la Broadwater Farm.
For health and safety reasons, only one-third full of petrol milk bottles are used. Dougal worries about this as ‘real rioters’ could use wine bottles with added polystyrene or rubber for added smoke and fumes.
Another compromise is that half-bricks are simulated by blocks of wood. Dougal explains that the dark blue boiler suits worn are flame retardant but not flameproof. Standing for any length of time in pools of petrol is likely to get you burnt. Or in fact scalded, as the most common cause is heating the sweat that has built up under the protective gear.
Fortunately petrol bombs haven’t been used against the Met since the Brixton riot of 1985.
Tubes and terraces
‘Jog on’ is apparently the command for real recruits as they are taken round, but we get a leisurely stroll to the mock underground station. They have a tube carriage to practice handling football fans.
Gravesend is also used by the British Transport Police and the City of London as well as nearby county forces. Dougal’s key point here is to teach recruits not to stand with their back to the train as they may be pushed onto the track when the train leaves.
Logically the next step is a football ground and there is a bank of seats to practice clearing crowds and extracting troublesome individuals. The best way, says Dougal, is to get into the row behind the person you want, but if that proves difficult you can usually get them at half time when they need a piss.
There is also an gladiators-style block of hanging punch bags for running through, but sadly it’s time to go and, tired but happy, we head for the exit.
On the way out we see our group of Level Twos doing their shield run. They need to manage 500 metres in full kit carrying the long shield in under two minutes 45 seconds to qualify. This, Dougal explains, is not difficult for a healthy person unless you get too nervous beforehand, forget to eat and end up being sick. All the group we watch pass successfully and quite a few seem on the podgy side.
The Level One Territorial Support Group have to do 1,000 metres in six minutes. One of our party asks if there is any other qualification, perhaps to determine psychological or temperamental suitability for the role. Dougal looks pained. Summoning all his patience, he replies in the negative, but his eyes tell us that we really don’t understand at all.
