The South Wales Police Firearms Training Unit has built a reputation nation-wide as a high quality training provider that enhances the skills and abilities of the police use of firearms.
The unit consists of an inspector, sergeant, and eight constables, who are all National Firearms Instructors and Tactical Advisors.
Overall, the unit has force wide, regional, and national responsibilities for the quality assurance of up-to-date training in weapon skills, law, policy and procedures.
This could include the delivery of training lectures to other forces, developing police firearms tactics for national use, and advising police commanders on firearms incidents, ranging from the unlawful criminal use of a firearm through to a terrorist incident.
The curriculum for the unit derives from the force threat and a series of risk assessments. Essentially, the criminal use of firearms are analysed for trends, then the results assist training staff to design and deliver the most appropriate tactics required to combat gun crime in the force area.
Examples of training areas include:
- Hostage release and advanced tactics
- Rifle officer and intelligence gathering skills
- Personal and Close protection training
- Armed response officer training
- Abseil and working at height training
- National Instructors training in police response to suicide terrorism training
- Specialist unarmed defense skills for specialist firearms officers
- Firearms awareness for probationer constables and PCSOs
To contact the Firearms Training Unit, call 01656 303518/ 305925, fax 01656 869512, or email
Ldsinformation@south-wales.pnn.police.uk.
Alternatively, you can write to:
Firearms Training Unit
South Wales Police,
Waterton,
Bridgend
CF31 3YU