Devon and Cornwall Police support Britannia Royal Naval College Cadets' final exercise

Devon and Cornwall Police support Britannia Royal Naval College Cadets on their final Exercise before commissioning.

Devon and Cornwall Police were recently invited to support in a large multiagency training exercise at the Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in Dartmouth.

This exercise formed part of the final leadership assessment for Officer Cadets at the College and involved them responding to a major incident. The purpose of this exercise was to assess their command and leadership abilities under a realistic and highly pressurised scenario.  

The exercise also allowed the other participants to test Military Aid to Civil Authority (MACA) principles and roll out a full major indent training scenario for the other emergency services involved.

A large scale, mass casualty indent was simulated which enabled cross organisational practices to be tested and bespoke ‘JESIP’ (Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Programme) principles to be practiced by the blue light services. JESIP dictates the joint working principles for the emergency services and helps support the development of a multiagency response to major incidents.

This type of training helps prepare the Cadets for potential scenarios they may face in the future and gives an opportunity for the blue light services to test their own procedures. 

Ch Insp Darren Roach of Devon and Cornwall Police said: “This joint Police and military exercise afforded a unique and demanding training scenario for our Police Officers and our command team. It was a great opportunity to add value to the Officer Cadets training, working alongside colleagues from Fire and Rescue and the South West Ambulance Service.

"We tested joint command protocols and ensured that in the event of a major incident, our operating procedures and communications would be fit for purpose.

“This joint exercise put us through a challenging scenario which overlayed a number of demands and priorities on all those involved.  As the scenario developed, we tested our own officers response to a large public protest, as well as policing a cordon against aggressive demonstrators.

"This type of joint training, where officers face a realistic, challenging and volatile environment is invaluable experience for all involved. On behalf of Devon and Cornwall Police I’d like to thank BRNC for enabling us to take part in the Officers Cadets final exercise and wish them all the best in their future careers with the Royal Navy.”