A leading police firearms training centre near Yarm has boosted its tactical training facility with the addition of a retired bus donated by local bus operator, Stagecoach North East.
The Tactical Training Centre at Urlay Nook, a joint venture between Cleveland and Durham Police which opened in 2001, took receipt of a single decker bus which had reached the end of its public service. The bus will now live out its retired life at the purpose-built facility and will be used as a structure for the firearms officers, enhancing the realism of their training and where they can refine and advance their search tactics through a range of nationally recognised training programmes.
To ensure a high level of realism for the firearms experts, the bus will retain all of its seating and furniture, and includes a set of new tyres. However, it will be adapted for training, with restricted access, life-size mannequins and additional protection to minimise damage during firing exercises, all built in.
The latest donation from Stagecoach will replace a bus already employed at the centre, in which a team of 12 highly experienced staff help train professional firearms officers from around the world using state-of- the-art facilities, including an abseil tower, indoor ranges and a sophisticated interactive judgemental system.
The specialist firearms experts work with police personnel, law enforcement agencies, the military and non-police organisations. Inspector Karl Brown, director of training at TTC, said: “We are always looking for opportunities to develop realistic training for our officers and are really grateful to
Stagecoach for their assistance in developing our training facility.” Gary Chisholm, engineering director, Stagecoach North East, said: “We always try our best to support the local business community and it is great to be able to help such an exceptional facility as the Tactical Training Centre. It is pleasing to know that a bus which has reached the end of its public life will be put to excellent use, offering a wide range of training opportunities and benefitting many firearms officers in the future.”
For further information about Stagecoach North East please visit
www.stagecoachbus.com
For more information on the Tactical Training Centre, please visit
http://www.tacticaltrainingcentre.com/