Raymond Brown
Riot police faced a howling mob hurling abuse and missiles as well as running “street battles” at a training centre near Huntingdon.
[cambridge-news.co.uk] Cambridgeshire officers tackled the “angry crowds” in a bid to learn lessons after the death of a man during the G20 protests last year.
Several scenarios were played out by officers from across the region, including protesters at a “climate change” camp, rioting football hooligans as well as an “uprising” by a fake Eastern European community.
The screams of abuse and the thunder of batons battering shields swept across various sites in and around RAF Alconbury as police faced a barrage of missiles.
It is perhaps the most terrifying duty a police officer has to perform. The sight of hundreds of angry protesters screaming abuse and hurling bricks, bottles and other missiles would turn the average person’s blood cold.
That’s why the force simulates riots to train officers to cope in the most extreme environment.
Pc Craig Rothwell, who trains officers in riot tactics and major anti-terror strategies at Alconbury, said: “This will give officers experience and confidence in their equipment and they will learn how to work with officers from different counties. We have nine forces taking part.
“We try to make it as real as possible. The G20 Summit protests had a huge impact with regards to allowing lawful protest and adapting to change, which we have been doing in Cambridgeshire for some time, and we have become a model for other forces.”
Sgt Jon Capes, who is based in Cambridge, has first-hand experience of a real riot.
He said: “I was there in 1996 when the Reclaim the Streets riot happened in Mill Road. It was scary.
“These exercises are invaluable for giving officers an idea of how things can pan out in those sorts of situations.”
More than 400 students, including some taking the public service course at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, joined more than 400 officers yesterday at the airfield.
Students played the part of angry protesters and football hooligans in the run-up to the World Cup in South Africa.
Forces are preparing for any trouble sparked by the tournament in cities and towns across the region.
Footage of an officer shoving a man to the ground at a G20 protest minutes before he died has prompted the fresh approach to policing demonstrations.
Ian Tomlinson, 47, who was walking home from work, suffered a heart attack several minutes after walking away from being pushed in central London.
The students were drafted in to simulate trouble from street scuffles to full-scale disorder to test the riot police.
The riot scenarios were brought to life on a specially constructed “battlefield”.
This was made up of freight containers sited to create “streets” and “alleyways”.
Officers are put under extreme provocation to test how they react and perform under pressure.
Source: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Home/How-riot-police-learn-to-face-an-angry-mob.htm
