‘Impressive’ approach to terrorism training exercise in Nottinghamshire

An exercise to test the response by emergency services to a terrorist attack has taken place in the East Midlands.

The large-scale operation, which also involved other locations in the region, saw multiple partners and agencies, from local to national, come together at Trent Bridge cricket ground in Nottinghamshire on Monday 27 January.

It was coordinated by Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands (CTPEM), part of our national network of units dedicated to responding to the threat of terrorism.

The scenario tested the way police and partners reacted to challenging, dynamic situations, including ambulance and fire teams, who would also have key roles in the event of an incident of this nature.

The exercise was not in response to any specific threat or intelligence but was part of a regular testing and exercising programme nation-wide.

East Midlands Assistant Chief Constable Di Coulson said: “I attended the exercise and was impressed not only by the work that had gone in to organising and coordinating the activity on the day, but also by the positive way the ‘players’ from all the agencies involved threw themselves into the opportunity to test their skills and training in a realistic but safe environment.

“This was the first part of the exercise. The second part is just as important, as now we can reflect on how we performed and take a closer look at what worked well and what we could improve on. This will not only inform or local response plans, but also those of the wider counter-terrorism network, to ensure that we are as effective as possible if faced with an incident of this kind.

“I am also incredibly grateful to the volunteers, students, Cadets, and make-up artists who supported the event, helping to make the it feel as realistic as possible.

“The event has been a massive undertaking and I’m grateful to those involved in making it happen.”

Rob Taylor, Event Safety Officer at Trent Bridge, said: “We’re happy to have been able to lend our support to Counter Terrorism Policing by providing a real-world setting in which they can test their response to an incident – and it was great to observe the collaboration, communication and response of the agencies involved at close quarters.

“Practical exercises like this are invaluable to them – and also to us as a venue, as we prepare for another busy summer on the global sporting stage.”

The threat to the UK from terrorism remains at ‘Substantial’.

You are crucial to the work of Counter Terrorism Policing in keeping people safe. If you see something that doesn’t feel right, contact your local force or report it at?gov.uk/ACT.