Hazel Blears To Open Police Firearms Range

Thames Valley Police’s state-of-the-art new firearms range at Sulhamstead will be officially opened this week.

Set in the grounds of the Force training centre, the £5m range will be opened by Police Minister the Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP on Tuesday morning (13/12). Also present will be Chief Constable Peter Neyroud, Sally Hannon, Chairman of Thames Valley Police Authority and Tim Crow of Hannah Reed, the project managers.

The range was constructed over a two year period by Anglo Holt Construction and finished earlier this year. It uses the la-*test*-('") technology and boasts a 50m, eight lane firing range with two moving targets, a close quarter range with live-fire capability that allows targets to be engaged over a 180 degree arc, a simulator for judgemental training and two large student classrooms – one of which is fully equipped for weapon demonstrations. The Association of Project Managers awarded Hannah Reed its coveted ‘Project of the Year’ title for 2005, in recognition of the range’s quality.

Mr Neyroud, a former ACPO lead for Police Use of Firearms, said:

“From the outset, it was vital that the new range offered facilities of the very highest standard and enabled us to improve our training capability – and I am delighted that the finished product can be considered as among the best firearms training facilities in the UK.

“The role of a firearms officer is difficult and extremely pressurised, often requiring critical decisions to be made in a very short space of time. It is the Force’s responsibility to make sure that these officers are equipped to handle the demands placed on them, while ensuring that we are flexible enough to meet changing needs in the future. Along with the exceptional quality of firearms trainers in Thames Valley this range will enable us to do exactly that.”

Mrs Hannon said: “This excellent facility reflects a large investment by the Police Authority and a considerable amount of work by Thames Valley Police and Hannah Reed. Tireless efforts to ensure that the range offered the finest learning environment have really paid off and this is a huge asset to the Force.

“Thames Valley Police Authority is committed to providing a high standard of service to the public and to ensuring our officers are trained to the highest possible standard. This range will ensure that our officers can benefit from some of the most advanced firearms training facilities.”

Between April 1 2004 and March 31 2005, Thames Valley Police armed response vehicles (ARVs) were assigned to 565 incidents and armed officers deployed to 289. Although gun crime is steadily falling in the Thames Valley region, armed deployments are not and the cause for this is largely young people with imitation guns and air weapons in public – wasting officers’ time and putting themselves at serious risk. There is currently a high-profile campaign being run by the Force, Safer Streets, aimed at educating young people of the dangers.