TalkTHROUGH

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THE MAGAZINE OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICE DECEMBER 2016

ISSUE 162

Force keepingup with paceof change. . .

INSIDE� OPERATIONS ACTIVITY ROUND-UP �

� EXERCISES TEST RESILIENCE �

Editor:Norman HicksCorporate CommunicationsRoom 124/1070MDP WethersfieldBraintree, Essex CM7 4AZtel: 01371 854053e-mail: MDP-CorpCom-PublicationMgr@mod.uk

We welcome articles and photos of interest to readers, but reservethe right to shorten/edit contributions.

Staff contributing articles should ensure they are suitable for openpublication.

If you would like to discuss your contribution, please contact the Editor.

Force keeping up with pace of change . . . 1

Spotlight on Operations 4

Nuclear Division 5-15

AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield – Our Story . . . 6

Territorial Division 16-26

RIAT 2016 makes history 16

Business Continuity and Resilience Exercise 24

Well done, and thank you letters 32

ISSUE 162 DECEMBER 2016CONTENTS

CONTINUED . . .

TalkTHROUGH

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� TalkThrough caught upwith the Chief Constable, Alf Hitchcock and askedhim to reflect on the currentstate of play on a numberof projects that will impacton the way the Forceoperates in the future.

However, such is the pace of changeon several of these initiatives, that someaspects will be out-of-date before theink is dry on this edition of the Forcemagazine!

We began by asking him about theInfrastructure Policing Review, whichstarted over a year ago with research byconsultants McKinsey and Co.

“That led to a further piece of workbeing carried out, under the directionof the Home Office, with Deloitte’sbeing appointed to research the mainissues and prepare documentation forGovernment, giving them theopportunity to make decisions onwhether this was viable to do and would indeed provide operational andbusiness benefits.

“So, twelve months’ work has goneinto it, with a whole array of data beinggathered from the in scope Forces,which are Civil Nuclear Constabulary,British Transport Police, MOD Policeand Home Office Forces at airports.”

Initially, Highways England TrafficOfficers and Home Office Forces’ roadpolicing units that police the motorwayswere in scope, but it proved to be toocomplicated to disconnect them fromtheir current roles, said the Chief.

In addition to CNC, BTP and MDP,airports policing is included, focusing onthe larger UK airports. Departmentaldiscussions continue, led by the HomeOffice, overseen by the Cabinet Office,with the next step due to be asubmission to Ministers once therecommendations have been finalisedby the relevant Permanent Secretaries.

The options under consideration atthe time of going to press were:

� Do nothing – leave it all as it is, in effect

� Create a single National Infrast-ructure Police Force, including CNC, BTP, MDP and airports, all in one large Force

� Merge CNC and MDP and then continue with research to see what else might be added

� Seek to get those existing Forces to do more collaboration and try to yield some benefits without merging

Said the Chief: “Our position hasbeen that the larger Force might beachievable in a controlled and stagedmanner, but that the sensible startingpoint would be to bring CNC and MODPolice together within a governance

that allows both MOD and Business,Energy and Industry to oversee theForce, in a joint governance mechanism.The merged Force would be a newentity altogether.

“Whatever the outcome, we arehere to deliver. If we stay as we are wewill continue to do a great job. If wemerge with CNC, then we are going tobe very keen to make sure that works aswell and if it’s the big infrastructurepolicing model we’ll make it happen.

“We are here to protect thenation’s most valuable assets andpeople and we will do that underwhatever structure HMG decides to doit under – we are here to do the job.”

PROJECT JUTEThe scheduled closure by 2020 of theForce Headquarters site at Wethersfieldhas prompted a nationwide search for anew location.

“At the moment it will be into 2017before we know which of the variousalternatives is viable,” said the Chief.“The Chief Officer team have been on anumber of site visits in order to advisethe department of our preferred options.

“Currently we favour a move intoBassingbourne Barracks with the Army,but there are other sites in the frameand, by the time this edition ofTalkThrough is printed our preferencesmight well have had to change. Watchthis space!”

Forcekeepingup withpace ofchange . . .

By Editor Norman Hicks

Front cover: Policing RIAT 2016Photograph by Paul Kemp

BUSINESS AS USUALWe asked the Chief how he felt the Forcehad been coping during the past year, whichhas not only seen much uncertainty aboutits future direction, but also stringent budgetrestrictions, to meet MOD funding targets.

He said: “They are uncertain times at the moment, but then again that’s notdissimilar to where I’ve been in the threeyears that I’ve been Chief. There havebeen lots of changes within theDepartment and in what we are doing.

“We’ve started policing differently,using the Operational Policing Model andProject Servator and that change has beenreally welcomed by the customer. I’d liketo say thank you to officers for keepingthe business on the road, particu-larlyagainst some quite severe cuts, which hasseen quite significant loss of overtime, soto manage the brief with less resource hasbeen a challenge, but the response hasbeen really good.

“We are still waiting to hear what ishappening at AWE and will hopefully havean answer early in 2017. My view is thatthe military option is probably the wrongoption, bearing in mind the security andprotest issues for the site and how policingbest meets these. I would also argue andhave done that the financial case is marginaland so therefore the slight saving that maybe made is more than offset by the riskthat could be created in a transitionperiod. I am really concious of the moraleimpact of the delay in getting clarity.”

ROLLS ROYCEDEPLOYMENT

A new task to provide armed policing atthe Rolls Royce plant near Derby wasintroduced in May, in support of siteoperations.

The Chief told TalkThrough:

‘The Force continues to be the primary provider ofspecialist policing services andthis MOD request for us tocarry out this role in Derbyshireis another example of thatunique skill set.’FITNESS

The fitness programme is up and running,with more than 1000 officers having gonethrough the test by October – 43 per cent of the Force – and only one per cent(31 individuals) failing to reach the 5.7standard, said the Chief. “All of thosepeople have now got support plans tohelp them achieve the standard wherepossible.”

DIVISIONAL REVIEWFollowing the Headquarters review, whichset out to discover if the Force was usingits HQ resources in the most efficient wayto support the delivery of front lineservices, research has shown that MDP isBritain’s leanest police force, with 92 per

cent of resource allocated to front-linedelivery and just eight per cent to supportfunctions, said the Chief.

“With such a small support functionwe know that we have to make absolutelythe best use of the resource we’ve got. So, the Headquarters review was to see ifwe have got the right people in the rightplace, particularly as we have had to growthings like the OCC – to deliver additionaltraining for the growth in new recruits.

“Also, in order to support fitness andhealth, it has been essential to get betterOccupational Health support in the Force, together with the wider OH Assist.In order to do that we have needed toredistribute Headquarters resource so thatour Headquarters delivers thoserequirements but still at the same cost.The next step is to examine the role ofDivisions and to see if the Divisionalstructures enhance operational delivery.

“There are two possible outcomes I believe. The first would be to leave thedivisional structures as they are and try to ensure that they are as efficient aspossible; the second would be to removedivisional structures and effectivelymanage all functions from a single Head-quarters without a divisional structure.

“In the past I have operated in forcesthat have had both of these models. TheMet was very keen on having divisionalstructures and devolved responsibilitieswith a small Headquarters function. During my time at Bedfordshire I wasinvolved in removing divisional structuresand creating a Headquarters and a singleforce operating model.

“The Chief Officers will be makingdecisions based on what the evidence andresearch tells us is best for the Force andfor the Ministry of Defence. Whatever wedo I am keen that we still have seniorofficer visibility across the organisation,”he said.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At the Diversity Board in October therewas a good attendance by all of ourSuperintendents and ambassadors, whoheard of several ongoing pieces of work,including one by the Crime Command onpolicy on how MDP deals with hate crime.

“We are also looking at diversity issuesin relation to protester guidance – how we

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deal with protesters – and processes toensure that every operational orderincludes an equality impact assessment,”said the Chief. “We seem to be doing thatfor all policy issues and some operationalorders. This piece of work is to ensure thatwe are doing it for all operations.

“There’s a good piece of work by Supt Chris Yates on AFO requirements for officers returning from maternity leave.In the past it has always been that femaleofficers returning from maternity leave goon a six week course and we think thatthat is unnecessary. We can probably do it in a different way, by doing a riskassessment and an initial testing to seehow much skills fade there has been. Youcan then vary it and, instead of doing a fullsix weeks, you might be able to do adifferent timescale.

“There is also work about appropriateuniform and, again with Chris and PCClaire Batt, we are looking at some workwith Cranfield University about femaleshaped body armour, to improve comfortand operational effectiveness.

“All line managers have beencompleting Unconscious Bias training.That’s when you have biases that youdon’t even realise and how you canmitigate those biases, as well asrecognising that you have got them. It’s not an unnatural thing as a humanbeing. The training has been successful and assisted staff, so as a result we

are going to roll that out across the whole Force.

“We’ve got recruitment targets forfemale and black and minority ethnicofficers, of 15 and five per cent respect-ively for this year. We introduced thepositive action to bring in under-represented groups and have had an all-female and ethnic minority group intake.

‘As a result we arecurrently above that target,with females at 18 per cent andclose to it for black andminority ethnic officers, at four per cent.’

“Because of the timescale to bringmore people through on the currentrecruiting round, we probably will not beable to meet the targets by the end of thisyear, particularly for black and minorityethnic officers, but that doesn’t meanwe’re not going to keep on trying, eventhough it is quite a challenge.

“We are looking to increase thedeclaration of people on ethnicity. Wehave got eighty per cent of staff who havenow made a declaration and we arelooking to try and increase that up toninety per cent. The lowest levels ofdeclaration have been in relation todisability and we think that might possiblybe because people are concerned to declarea disability, even though it’s anonymisedfor the purposes of these records.

“Supt Mark Foulger and KathrynBunyan have undertaken work on mentalhealth training and policies. Mental healthfirst aid training has already been rolledout and we are looking to develop amental health strategy by the end of thefinancial year for the Force to follow in thecoming year,” said the Chief.

“Finally, we have Human FactorIntegration, which is about kit. I mentionedthe body armour bit but there is a widerpiece of work around making sure that allof our decisions on equipment have beenconsidered from a diversity perspective.That has been completed and is now emb-edded, so the equality evaluations are partof everything we do and we do equalityimpact evaluations on every piece of kit.

“There has been a huge amount ofwork already completed during this year inthis area, there is a genuine keenness anddesire by people on the Diversity Boardand the Diversity and Inclusion WorkingGroup to drive this forward and there hasbeen fantastic support across the Force,from officers and staff who have beensupporting these work streams and againit’s a thank you to them for the enthus-iasm with which people have engaged.”

NATIONAL POLICINGISSUES

The funding for Home Office forces hasstabilised and won’t be the subject ofmore cuts. There has been an agreedinvestment funded centrally from theHome Office to grow armed policing andincrease the number of Armed ResponseVehicles across London in particular butalso the rest of the country, said the Chief.

“For us on ‘funding issues’ we arecurrently looking and developing a paperfor HOCS which is a description of howwe might do funding in a better and moresustained way.

“You are probably aware that I havebeen working with the Met and the HomeOffice to get an agreed ban on ‘zombieknives’. The NPCC police service wereabsolutely delighted when the Govern-ment agreed to include these as prohibitedweapons. Clearly carrying such a weaponbecause of its size and properties would be illegal anyway, but this now makesmanufacture, supply, importation andpossession all offences in their own right,”said the Chief, who is the national policelead on knife crime.

FORCE KEEPING UP WITH PACE OF CHANGE . . .

54CONTINUED . . .

� THIS ISSUE OF TalkThrough focuses on some of the excellent work being done across the Operations portfolio, both up front and behind the scenes. We caught upwith recently appointed ACC Operations Paul McLaughlin and began by congratulatinghim on his promotion.

ACC: Thank you very much, I am delighted to have been successful in the promotion process for ACC and to have been offered (and duly accepted) the MDP ACC Operations portfolio. I am particularly proud toform part of the Chief Officer Group and look forwardto working with my fellow Chief Officer colleagues in themonths and years ahead. This will undoubtedly continueto provide challenges and will provide the MOD aprofessional and dedicated policing service.

TT: Looking forward, what are your expectations of thecoming months and years?

ACC: More of the same work that the OperationsPortfolio have been delivering since I got the opportunityto lead it nearly three years ago. This TalkThrough featuredemonstrates some of this work from all areas of thePortfolio and I can assure you that there are plenty ofother examples I could mention.

What is consistent is MDP’s ‘can do’ attitude. Wecontinue to deliver a policing service, no matter what isthrown at us, whether it’s in-year budget cuts, uncertainty,change or reviews. It's just a pleasure to lead our staff,which makes my job all the more enjoyable and I’mcertainly proud to be associated with our workforce. Weare in good hands to meet head on what lies ahead for us.

I must recognise and give thanks to both DivisionalCommanders and their Division and Station teams in

meeting many of the austere challenges that the Forcehas faced over the last few years and continue to manageeffectively but importantly, for maintaining our coreoperational business at acceptable levels. I would also liketo take the opportunity to personally thank allOperations staff and all the other departments for thesupport they have provided to Operations.

I would particularly like to thank my HQ Ops team,who have worked with me closely over the last threeyears and continue to provide a dedicated and exemplaryservice to the portfolio and wider Force – they have beena tremendous strength for Operations and I’m thrilledwe have built a strong team with which to move forward.

I am looking forward to meeting the challengesahead with the portfolio team and I wish all staff andtheir families an enjoyable and peaceful Christmas and aprosperous New Year.

Spotlight onOperationsHighlights of a busy year aroundthe Force . . .

� TalkThrough met up at Abbey Wood with CHIEFSUPT BETH DISHER NuclearDivision Commander and ND Supt Ops, Jim O’Donnell,for their overview on how theDivision has been operating inthe past year and how theyplan to engage with staff inthe future.

The Div Cmdr told us: “In February,myself and C/Supt Mick O’Byrne (TD Div Cmdr) were asked to analysethe results and comments specificallyrelating to Divisions, made by staff inthe My MDP Survey, and present ourfindings to the Senior Leaders’Conference.”

That analysis identified a numberof specific recurring themes: Divisional Structure/understanding;Communication/IT and Management/Behaviour. She said: “I want to use thisTalkThrough article to show staff howwe (Divisional Senior ManagementTeam) are responding to thosefindings, and highlight the achieve-

ments being made by staff to influencechange.”

She went on to explain that shetook the opportunity of using the16/17 Divisional Policing Plan as avehicle for addressing these issues. “I wanted to approach our PolicingPlan in a way that had not been donebefore, by working with a cross sectionof managers in the Division to identifystrategic themes that go towardsaddressing survey issues, make realimprovements and demonstrate howthese link into supporting the Forceachieve Key Priorities and theOrganisational Development Strategy.

‘ It was quite an organis-ational task but by working withcreative and motivated staff,including Inspectors, Chiefs andSuperintendents, we were ableto set the plan in place.’

I have deliberately not set timedtargets, instead setting strategicinitiatives to be developed andoutcomes to be achieved.”

Supt O’Donnell added: “Each SI isheaded by a Divisional Senior Leaderwho is obligated to pull together ateam of cross ranks/station staff towork on achieving these.

“The Divisional Commanderdeliberately set our progress reportingand communication platform asDefence Connect, mainly to overcomeissues of two computer systems withinthe platform, but also to enable allstaff to see what was going on, andencourage them to comment and/oreven decide to get involvedthemselves.”

The following articles are intendedto highlight how committed she andher managers are to make changes andrespond to staff concerns.

NuclearDivision

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� APRIL 2016 saw theappointment of a new SPO at AWE Aldermaston andBurghfield. SuperintendentPam Hewitt had this to sayabout her new command role:

“As the new SPO I initially conductedan assessment across my two new stationsand I was impressed with the diverse skillsand professionalism of the teams I met.My focus has been to ensure each andevery member of the AWE complementare clear and committed to delivering ourstrategic purpose, we are enhancing,encouraging good leadership andaddressing any people issues that mayaffect our capability and service delivery.

At the heart of my transformationwork I wanted to create a culture of staffengagement, supportive leadership,

recognition and inclusion. Staff who areappreciated and included in stationprojects will work willingly and creatively,going the extra mile when needed, tomaintain and improve our service to theCustomer here at the AWE stations.

I think it is important to pause regularlyto acknowledge our successes so it givesme great pleasure to showcase the effortsof my staff.”

STAFF APPRECIATION AND RECOGNITION

During the visit of the Chief Constable, Alf Hitchcock to AWE in August 2016 hewitnessed SPO Commendations beingpresented.

He was particularly impressed to hearthat Sergeant Dan Gray of the TSG haddevised the AWE Recognition Scheme.Dan creatively designed the criteria around

the Force Purpose and Style, along with theLeadership Standard. A similar scheme torecognise the work of Student Officers hasalso been designed by Sergeant GavinCreber of the Burghfield Ops ResilienceTeam. This will see an officer from bothAldermaston and Burghfield being recog-nised for their efforts every six months.Line managers have been able to nominateStudent Officers via weekly Senior Manage-ment Team meetings since November 2016.

� T/Sergt Ali Robbins and Constable Lorraine Wilson of the Rosters Team werecommended for their hard work and dedication to maintaining station tasks

� Sergt Neil Matthews was commended for his tireless efforts overseeing the station Student Officer programme

� Constable Nick Reis was commended for his commitment to maintaining the exercising planning team during a long period of staff shortages.

SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS NUCLEAR DIVISION

STAFF ENGAGEMENT WITHSENIOR MEMBERS

Last year’s My MDP survey indicated thatstaff wanted more opportunities to engagewith senior members of the MDP so theycould raise their ideas and concerns abouttheir stations and the Force.

Supt Hewitt said:

‘Since my arrival on stationone of my main priorities hasbeen to spend time with staff,either by chatting to staffindividually – whilst on patrol oron post, in rest rooms and inmore formal settings at thestation Focus groups.’

“Staff are important and I wanted toshow them that I was accessible no matterwhat their rank. We have also beenpleased to welcome formal visits to bothAWE stations from the CC Alf Hitchcock,DCC Andy Adams, ACC Operations PaulMcLaughlin and ND Commander ChiefSupt Beth Disher.”

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Diversity and Inclusion is now well embed-ded in the Force with the Champions andAmbassadors roles being undertaken bythe whole Chief Officer Group and theSuperintending ranks. Ally roles areundertaken by junior members of staffacross the Force, including staff atAldermaston and Burghfield.

Supt Hewitt said:

“As the Transgender Ambassador for theForce I was keen to ensure that Diversityand Inclusion was placed at the centre ofAWE station business. T/Inspr ClaireTurner assisted with the refocus of the twoDiversity groups at station level andestablished a station strategic group alignedto the Force Diversity and InclusionWorking Group (DIWG). All sections arenow working to support the Force ActionPlan and are encouraged to attend themonthly meetings. Staff are alsoresponding well to the recent FOSN fornew Allies to come forward and assist in making the Force a place free of discrim-ination and inclusive to all, allowing staff toperform to the best of their ability.”

STAFF BIOGRAPHIES

Constable JOHN BRAUND, BurghfieldJohn joined the MDP in February 1991after spending many years in the Army as aMountain leader amongst other things,leading mountain training in some of themost remote parts of the world.

His first posting in the MDP was as anAFO at AWE Aldermaston. He later joinedthe Special Escort Group then finally joinedAWE Burghfield in July 2009 where he hasremained.

John is currently the Drugs Search Doghandler at AWE Burghfield with PDSummer who he’s had since June 2011.Summer is a six year-old Labrador retriever.

John conducts searches daily within theestablishment but also assists local HomeDepartment Police Forces when he is able.

John recently attended the BoomTown Fair Music and Arts festival,Winchester. He worked alongsideHampshire, Surrey and Thames ValleyPolice, along with dogs from the PrisonService. 60,000 people attended and Johnand Summer conducted searchesthroughout the day and evening, beingcredited with 56 positive drug finds. Johnhas also attended horse racing events andis a regular attendee at the Abbey WoodMOD families’ day. He has attended localschools and was recently a big hit with thelocal Brownies’ group.

John is also a Defence FederationFriend and has been very active in this role

during the last few years, working closelywith officers, his DPF colleagues and PSD.He has gone on to be a mentor for otherPolice Friends, helping to train a coursewith the Federation in Scotland.

As an active member of the ProtesterRemoval Team at Burghfield, John isrenowned for his delivery of the five stepappeal (sounding more like the town crierthan a police officer) – no one could eversay that they hadn’t heard him!

John’s favourite pastime is thecultivation of his collection of weird andwonderful chilli plants. He’s also a suckerfor the latest drama box set, and being‘Pops’ to his two grandchildren.

John is a very popular member of theBurghfield team. He takes a leading role insite exercises and so is popular with bothsite staff and other officers alike.

Constable HANNAH ELLIS, TSGHannah joined the MDP at Aldermaston in2014 after a career as a Personal Trainer.After attending a Tactical Support Group(TSG) presentation she decided tospecialise – a big step for an officer withless than one year’s service.

Hannah describes her journey onto the TSG:

“I used my experience as a PersonalTrainer to help me prepare and maintainfitness levels for the physical challenge ofthe TSG assessment, including running thebleep test and the method of entry run.

“Whilst applying for the TSG I spoke indepth with several officers from one of theSections who encouraged me to join and

AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield– Our Story. . .

CONTINUED . . .

98CONTINUED . . .

told me what to expect. Training involved aSupport Officer course, followed by a veryphysically demanding six-week coursewhich covers a variety of different skill setsincluding but not limited to; hostagerescue/removal, dynamic intervention,dynamic search, method of entry andladder work. This course is run by a groupof highly motivated, experienced trainerswho challenge participants but provideloads of support to give officers a greatchance to pass the course.

“As a female officer, joining apredominantly male group, the initialprocess was quite daunting. That asidethough, once qualified, I joined 2 Sectionwhere I fit in very well and have establishedsome great friendships. As one of onlythree females on the group, I was the firstin a number of years to successfully passthe course in its entirety. In future it wouldbe great to see more women applying forthe course.

“The process is definitely achievable ifyou apply yourself to it and I wouldstrongly recommend it to any MDP officerlooking for a challenging role. I ampersonally happy for anybody to contactme and ask about my experiences or forme to answer queries about the TSG. Itwould be great if there were more women– so if you are a female officer reading thisand you want to learn more or come andvisit us I would like to help.

“Since joining the TSG I have hadample opportunities to attend tacticscourses for my personal development andin October I am training to become a Team

Medic, another challenging and demandingrole to undertake. Alongside my day-to-dayduties I am also studying for the sergeantpromotion exam.”

Constable TOBY HURT, AldermastonToby joined the MDP in 2014 at AWEAldermaston and has recently successfullycompleted his probationary period. Hejoined the Force after a prestigious careeras a Tennis Coach as he wanted a newchallenge.

He had this to say about his first twoyears with the Force:

“I joined the MDP on the first of thenew recruit courses and I can honestly saythis was the best decision of my life tochange careers. I undertook every trainingweek at the school with determination andsuccessfully passed out in October 2014.

“On joining AWE, I quickly becameinvolved in the day-to-day running of thestation, applying myself to all tasks that

were presented to me. During the first fewmonths of my probation, applications wererequested for those interested in becomePST instructors, which I applied for and ayear after leaving the training school Ifound myself back there for a two-weektrain the trainer course, which I completedsuccessfully.

“Prior to this I also joined the ASV unitduring its initial roll-out phase. This hasbeen a challenging role, allowing me extratraining and qualifications that I have usedto develop myself as an officer within theMDP. Part of this training included beingtrained as a Behavioural Detection Officerready for the roll-out of Project Servator toenable officers to more effectively detercriminal activity and hostile reconnaissancein and around the AWE sites. The ASV rolehas enabled myself and others toeffectively raise the profile of our officerswith our Home Office counterparts inThames Valley and Hampshire.

“This year, applications on stationopened for those interested in becoming aTemporary Sergeant. I applied for this andwas absolutely delighted when I wassuccessful after only 2 1/2 years in theForce. I know this will be a challenging rolebut I have the support of my colleagues andthe station Development Programme towork on my leadership and managementskills. I am studying for the Sergeants’promotion examination next year so thisexperience will be invaluable to help meachieve my aspiration of becoming aSergeant. Who knows what will happenafter that – onwards and upwards I hope!”

STUDENT OFFICERSAWE Aldermaston and Burghfield have thehighest proportion of Student Officersthan any other station in the Force. Thisbrings lots of challenges and opportunities.

Supt Hewitt said:

“We could not manage thecomplexities of setting up exercises,providing real time experiences andcoaching on Portfolio submissions withoutthe hard work of The Tutor Constables(coordinated by Sergt Neil Matthews)across both stations, along with thededication of line managers who havespent hours helping their new officers. But all their hard work is now paying offand we are proud of our Student Officerachievements:

� Constable Kristina Hide (Burghfield) and Constable Thomas Griffith (Aldermaston) were acknowledged as the first two Student Officers who reached Safe and Lawful status in a record time of seven weeks. This was an amazing effort

� 14 Student Officers have joined the TSG, 12 have specialised as ASV officers,five have qualified as PST Instructors, three have trained as Dog Handlers, twohave qualified as Command and Controlofficers, three have been selected for theSEG and one has passed the assessment/interview to become a Firearms Trainer

� 12 are also studying for the forthcomingSergeants’ Exam with one officer havingrecently been selected to conduct Temporary Sergeant duties.

It is fair to say that AWE is rife withopportunity to find a niche that suits anyofficer.”

OPERATIONS

Operation NoveleseJune saw the commencement of the 2016Op Novelese for what was billed as a‘month of action’ directed towardsBurghfield by the protest group TridentPloughshares.

Chief Inspector Jamie Higgins,Burghfield DSPO, was the MDP Silver forthe event and utilised his OperationalResilience Team to coordinate all planningactivity. The build up to the event for MDPinvolved attending meetings with theMOD, AWE, Thames Valley and HampshirePolice, plus writing operational orders andarranging resources.

He had this to say about the event:

“Thames Valley and Hampshire Policeprovided PSUs, Roads Policing, dedicatedprotester liaison officers, and protesterremoval teams (PRT) for the event withMDP Officers staffing the local roads intothe establishment and providing apermanent PRT presence throughout themonth. We were also assisted by MDPCrime Command throughout the wholeperiod.

“Each day of the protest was allocatedto a different protest group ranging fromWelsh CND (Campaign for NuclearDisarmament) to Academics. We had aWomen’s day on the 20th and a ‘MadHatters’ tea party adjacent to the roadleading to the Main Gate.

“We dealt with a variety of incidentsranging from protesters locked on via atube in the back of a two door car – to 9people locked on to a 40-foot woodensubmarine. Some of the devices were verybasic and messy involving the use of thicktar. TVP volunteered to remove this afterMDP provided the tar remover and weopted for another task. Given the state oftheir tools we certainly got the better deal!

“Protesters did not give up easily and employed the use of Super Gluethroughout the month, but this was easilydealt with by a liberal splashing of warmsoapy water, some de-bonder, and a lot ofpatience.

“On some days over 60 protestersturned out and on others there were onlysix but all the groups were non violent and

spent their time singing and dancing in allweathers.

“Several arrests were made during themonth by both Thames Valley Police andMDP for Obstruction of the Highway andCriminal Damage.

“Overall it was a successful month forall concerned with no protesters gainingaccess to the establishment, no injuries andsome great experience for the PRTofficers.”

TACTICAL SUPPORT GROUPSince its original inception in 2007, theTactical Support Group’s role has evolvedand grown and now covers both areas ofthe Atomic Weapons Establishment atAldermaston and Burghfield. The unit ishome to the MDP’s specialist firearmssearch capability and represents one of thelargest Dynamic Search teams in the UK.

The head of the TSG, Inspr AndyRamsay had this to say:

“Training begins by applying to becomea TSG Support Officer. This course isdesigned to train officers in use of theforce issued handgun and our primaryfirearm, the 5.56mm carbine. Officers alsoreceive training in the use of distractiondevices and an introduction into BasicMethod of Entry (MOE).

“At the conclusion of the course,officers are qualified to perform DeliberateSearch and have received tactics andtraining to crew the TSG’s Armed SupportVehicles.

SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS NUCLEAR DIVISION

Photograph byPaul Kemp

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“Once qualified as Support Officers,development continues until officersattend the Dynamic Search (DS) course.Officers must demonstrate they can attainlevel 10.5 at the 15m MSFT prior toattending the DS course.

“During the DS course, candidateslearn a number of new skills, including theuse of assault ladders to perform DynamicEntry, Dynamic Intervention and RapidInternal Deployment. Once qualified, TSGofficers must continue to maintain thesestandards whilst they train to work in thevarious environments and facilities at AWE,in addition to being able to undertakemany other training opportunities such asPolice Medics and Firearms Instructors.

“The TSG benchmark with other PoliceFirearms and Specialist Military units.

This is an ongoing development activity tomaintain our high standard. It does takeshard work and determination to reach thestandard required to meet the national roleprofile and become a member of the TSG,but the TSG’s own dedicated firearmstraining team is able to provide everysupport to maximise the chance of success.

“Recruitment into the TSG is currentlyopen and we have vacancies at bothSergeant and Constable ranks. I wouldencourage any officer who is interested toget in touch to find out more.”

CHIEF CONSTABLE VISITSAWE STATIONS

In August 2016 AWE stations hosted thevisit of the Chief Constable, Alf Hitchcock.

The Chief Constable had this to sayabout his visit:

‘This was a great opport-unity for me to see first hand the work of AWE staff. Listeningto the SPO Commendations that officers received for theirhard work and dedication isalways a pleasure. I enjoyed thefocus groups at both stationsand as ever, they were lively, but I do hope I was able to reassurestaff.’

The CC during his visit met the newChief Executive, Iain Coucher and the SiteDirector, Haydyn Clulow (pictured left).Later in the day he also met the StrategicWeapons (SW) Customer representativeand station lead, Lynn Johnson andmembers of the AWE Security team: Dr Tim Clayden, Graham Simpson andDave Randall.

FITTING ENDUtilising the skills that staff bring to theForce when they join provides a vast arrayof opportunity. Having a willingness tofind out what skills staff possess and usingthem can only add to our inclusiveapproach of recognising the contributionthat staff can make.

Supt Hewitt said in conclusion:

“This article was planned, written andcoordinated by Constable Liam Sneathwho joined the Force just over two yearsago. He has an English Degree and wanted to help and just look at the results . . .”

MY MDP SURVEY identified a need to put inplace a process that provides effective supportto members of staff, from new joiners to thosetaking up temporary or substantive promotionat all ranks and grades.

In addition, it was also clear from the Survey that therewas a lack of knowledge and understanding of local policiesand procedures and the connection between station-divisionand customer. A prospective ‘on-boarding’ programme forthe Nuclear Division (ND) was produced with the aim toallow the lead (Supt Dennis Jackson) and Co-leads (Ch InsprRichard Earle and Inspr Patrick McNaught) along with anumber of team members, to develop an end-to-end processthat can be applied across the Division.

The baseline process is presented as a ‘pathway’ thatprovides a route through which a number of activitiesencompass the ND on-boarding objectives. These are notpresented as the only options but as the framework which canbe developed. The concept is focused on police officers but isequally applicable to NUCS staff with some modificationmainly within the induction phase.

The objectives of this initiative include the following:

� Improve leadership and management of staff across ND

� Compliance with policy-related rules and regulations

� Clarification: staff understand their roles, responsibilities and expectations

� Culture: staff have a sense of station, Division and Force processes – both informal and formal

� Connection: there exists interpersonal relationships and information networks

� Engagement and inclusion: individual staff members treated as valued and appreciated members of the team

The pathway covers three distinct mapped phases: Pre-start, Induction phase and Job start, with each deliveringan identified part of the programme and each requiring adifferent set of actions and activities by the variousstakeholders.

The stakeholders within the process will include some, ifnot all, of the following individuals:

� NEW STARTER – this may be a new recruit/probationary officer to the MDP, a New Entrant from Other Forces (NEOF), an officer on transfer from another station, officerson promotion/leadership roles and NUCS staff

� SPONSOR – this would be the station SPO/DSPO or othersenior person locally responsible for the ‘ownership’ of the new starter

� LINE MANAGER – of the Individual(s)

� MENTOR – a recognised and trained individual who understands the role of the new starter and has a part to play in their personal development

� BUDDY – An officer of the same rank/role as the new starter, who carries out the same or a similar role

� TUTOR PC – where the new starter is a student/probationary officer

The practical application has seen a number of changesthat have been driven by past experience. When PS DrewMcNaughton was compiling an Induction Week forSeptember he trawled the views of previous recruits, whoseobservations included making it more role specific andproviding more insight on what to expect on shift.

One of the results from the feedback was the inclusion of input from an officer who was an experienced mentor, PC John Rowan. He provided guidance on MDP stationculture and integration as well as practical advice on subjects,such as understanding rosters and how to move betweenlocations on station.

To enhance this, PC Sharon Playford, a tutor Constable,accompanied the officers on a tour around the various beatson Station explaining the requirements and highlighting goodpractice.

Since this induction week was completed, positiveconstructive feedback has been received from participantsand one of them Constable Logue said: “I found that gettingshown around the Base, explaining what we had to do, helpedus to understand what to expect on each beat and also let usmeet some of our new colleagues at the same time. Doingthat and getting a walkthrough of how to report for duty forour first shift really made that first shift a little less daunting.”

Supt Jackson, as the Strategic Initiative lead, noted: “The benefits of this objective have already been identifiedand highlighted across the Division. New members of staff arenow provided with a more comprehensive induction week,with information packs and in-depth presentations relevant toroles and responsibilities on section/station.

“This has been achieved as a result of utilising theinformation from previous new members on theirconsiderations of what should be presented on their arrival.Other improvements include a better understanding ofexpectations through connection on staff relationships andinformation networks.

“New leaders are offered a support mechanism to allowconfidence and enhanced performance during the commandof incidents and events involving major customerstakeholders. Through engagement and inclusion staff havealso been recognised and rewarded for their effort leading toa culture of valued and appreciated staff.”

‘ON-BOARDING’ By Inspr Patrick McNaught

SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS NUCLEAR DIVISION

Photographs byPaul Kemp

THE ABILITY TO DELIVERCommand and Control traininglocally throughout the NuclearDivision has been achieved withthe recent introduction of theMcNaught Training Suite atHMNB Clyde.

A successful pilot project, andsubsequent capability, was introduced atAWE by Supt O’Donnell, with the projectbeing managed by Chief Inspector Earle.

The project was extended with asimilar provision then introduced in the

North of the Division. The Clyde facility ispositioned within the NDHQ building andwas achieved at neutral cost by ‘relocating’the necessary equipment from MDPfacilities locally.

Historically, potential operators bothPolice and Civilian highlighted theirconcern at the requirement for being awayfrom home for three weeks to completethe course at Wethersfield. After listeningto staff, this provision allowed theopportunity for staff to attend the coursewhile staying at home with the necessity toonly attend Wethersfield for the ICCSelement of the course (four days).

The instruction on the initial coursewas provided by Sergt Mark Walker (AWE)with the expectation that future courseswill be delivered by operators from theClyde Group. Three civilian operators andone MDP Constable recently volunteeredto complete the process to supplyCommand and Control instruction.

Sergt Walker has attracted praise fromthe Divisional Commander for hisdedication to the project delivery whilstcontinuing to perform in his role as a ShiftSergeant at Aldermaston. On review ofthe project, with special reference to theadditional work he has done in trainingoperators and potential trainers in theClyde Group, Ch Supt Disher said:

‘Mark has demonstrated awork ethic of the highest order,organising his time betweendelivering the training andsupporting the participants, aswell as continuing to support his station business as a shiftsergeant.’

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DURING JUNE AND JULY Sergt John Kaneconducted a selection of workshops on behalf of the Clyde Group SPO Supt Jackson.

These took place as assurance that the on-sectiontraining had been carried out at HMNB Clyde withreference to the MDP Four Cornerstones of Purpose,Style, Code of Ethics and MDP Decision Making Model(DMM); Leadership Standard; Effects Based Policing(EBP) and Measurement of Effect (MOE).

He used the workshops as a discussion tool toexamine the information officers had received from theirown section champions, explaining the rationale behindthe following MDP Four Cornerstones of:

� Our Purpose (Protecting, Reassuring, Achieving)

� Our Style (Professional, Respectable, Adaptable)

� Our Code of Ethics (what we, you and the public would expect of a police officer at work or not)

� Our Decision Making Model (DMM) confirming thatwe all, no matter our role or rank, always use some type of model or reflection on decision making even without thinking about it. However, by using the DMM/NDM we can evidence decision making in a more professional standard.

John also highlighted the last My MDP Survey andused the session to discuss current communication andhow to achieve better communication for all.

This was followed by an exploration of the meaningof our Leadership Standard (Inspiring, Confident andEmpowering) and its relevance to the Four Cornerstones,as holistically it is for all and not just for managers orsupervisors, looking at the alignment with the MOD andCivil Service Leadership Standard model.

Command and Control

CAPABILITY

SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS NUCLEAR DIVISION

WorkshopsofferFourCornerstonestrainingassurance

� IT IS SAID THAT commun-ication is simply the act oftransferring information fromone place to another. Although this is a simpledefinition, we all know that it is more complex than that.

Under the direction of Chief Inspr JimGillen, D/SPO Coulport, the core functionof the MDP was assessed and revised. TheConcept of Operations (CONOPS) process was formulated through vigorousstaff/customer engagement, motivation of officers and ultimately enhancedcommunication and has fundamentallychanged the operational profile of theMDP at Coulport.

Chief Inspr Gillen explains: “CONOPS is a series of operation orders,covering the main elements of depot

business, which contribute to theContinuous at Sea Deterrent (CASD). It covers security operations to the trans-portation of Defence Nuclear Material(DNM).

“The key to its success has been itsdissemination to the station complementand the stakeholder engagement processwhich developed it. The developmentphase allowed us to realign and refresh ourworking relationship with a host ofstakeholder agencies and establish clearlines of proactive communication toconvey the needs and expectations of eachorganisation and our team.”

Sergt John Simpson, Co-ordinator onthe project, added: “A number ofmechanisms to support the CONOPSprocess have been initiated, including theprovision to all supervisors of a personalhard copy of the CONOPS and constablesrefer to a digital version called CONOPS

for COPS. The folder is a one stop shop for all you need to know on how toconduct your duties effectively andprofessionally at RNAD Coulport.”

NDHQ Inspr Patrick McNaught said:“There is clear evidence of the CONOPSprocess and the continued developmenton working practices with other sitesecurity forces (SSF) provided during ourexercise assurance programme. Thecapture and communication of learningoutcomes to all staff and stakeholdersassures our strategic customers of thecollective SSF capabilities.”

In short . . . it’s good to talk. SergtSimpson commented: “Communicating,listening and contributing through a varietyof mediums have unquestionably enhancedthe workplace for the MDP and thecustomer at RNAD Coulport.

“With everyone’s involvement, theCONOPS process will develop and it willhelp strengthen and protect ouroperational role. It will act as a vehicle tosee us move from not just a serviceprovider, but to that of facilitator,developer, partner and overseer. Theoperational confidence it has generated ispalpable and I would thoroughlyrecommend the process.”

Communicationsis key to success

Defence Connect. . . exploiting technology� ALTHOUGH NUCLEARDIVISION HQ has been usingDefence Connect sinceearly 2015, a new strategicfocus on communications andexploiting technology hasenabled it to re-visit its usepan-Division.

There are now five groups owned byDivision (managed by Ch Inspr JohnCoffield and Inspr Darrell Barber) and 18groups across the Division – all making useof what is an excellent communication tooland, best of all, one that is owned andmanaged by the MOD.

Defence Connect is a collaborativetool that can be accessed through the

Defence Gateway. As well as using it on anyofficial MOD network, you can access itremotely and securely on a homecomputer, tablet and smart phone via anapp. It can be used for accessing anydocument up to ‘Official’ level which stillallows a wide scope for use.

Use within Nuclear Division includesdiscussion forums, blogs, training andproject management and the Division isonly just beginning to use it to its fullpotential to underpin the ability tocommunicate outside traditional methodsand deliver the Division’s work in smarterways. As the Force moves towards newsmart technology and the use of smart

phones and tablets, then how our staffwork and communicate will change with it.

Highlighted below are some of theuses made already by Nuclear Division:

� Sergt John Kane, HMNB Clyde hasused it to help deliver his work within theClyde group and has been instrumental inthe development of the seven groups inthe Clyde group. His initial group for ‘NDOpen Learning’, aimed at collaborativelearning and training, has since becomeDivision-wide.

John has used the group to postmaterial from his workshops so that staffcan access it whenever they want and notjust during the workshop delivery. He hasalso been encouraging staff to use the groupto post their own learning material wherethey think it will be useful for colleagues.

CONTINUED . . .

14 15

The group is currently managed by Johnwith help from Insprs Darrell Barber andPat McNaught from Division with the aimto include a volunteer from the AWEgroup as well.

Within Clyde Group John uses ‘MDPClyde Section 3’ group to keep sectionmembers sighted on documents relevantto their working environment, such asduties, annual leave forecasts and sectioninformation both work and social.

John said: “I see this as an extra link for officers who are off on a period ofabsence from work and have no access tothe work computer, as this may give them the information they want to see. Thepotential use for allowing all officers accessto information when away from the workplace can provide significant benefits.”

� John and Sergt Craig Taylor have alsoexplored the benefits of having an MDPVirtual Police Office that can be accessedacross the MOD community. Whilst notintended for the reporting of crimeincidents, it can provide outreach to ourcustomers that is not achievable bytraditional methods.

Sergt Taylor, of the Clyde Marine Unit,learned about Defence Connect whilstattending a course at Wethersfield. He hadalready been looking at ways he couldimprove access to information for the 130officers within the CMU as their uniqueworking environment meant that themajority of their working day was spentcovering the waterborne security of thenuclear deterrent and its supportinginfrastructure.

‘ IT availability can bechallenging at the best of times,more so when officers are out on patrol on the water. There isstill a requirement to accessdocuments and whilst we rely onofficers on shore checking on our behalf, this is not the bestsolution,’ he said.

Craig researched the benefits of usingDefence Connect and what documentsthey would be able to upload that wouldallow a more effective use of officers’ timewhen delivering their core task and alsoallowing officers to make plans by havingaccess to relevant published information.

Craig said: “The ability to accessDefence Connect through smart devicesmakes it an ideal solution for officers; youjust have to remember that for some ofour areas of work the use of smart devicesis not allowed . . . I was impressed with theease in which the system works.”

Craig has since brought other CMUcolleagues on board in helping to managethe group and upload relevant and usefulinformation. His next step is to promoteawareness of its use throughout the CMUby running workshops to assist others togain access and learn how to use it.

Craig said: “I would like to think thatthis will improve communicationsthroughout the unit and across the MDP. It shows that as an organisation we canembrace new technologies and use themto the benefit of the organsiation which, inturn, will provide better productivity, valuefor money and quality of service to ourcustomer.”

Ch Inspr John Brizzolara, D/SeniorPolice Officer at the Clyde Marine Unit,has given the project his full support: “I have been impressed at the ease inwhich the system works and can see that it definitely has a place within the unit.Moving forward, I feel that it will be avaluable tool in improving communicationsacross the Clyde Marine Unit operationallyon a day-to-day basis, but also whilstdeployed on detachment.”

Ch Supt Disher has been encouragedby the creativity of staff and managerswithin the Division and their willingness toimprove communication by utilising newmethods and technology.

Problems created by having to operatewith two separate IT systems, until Dii isfully rolled out, have been ameliorated bythe use of Defence Connect.

� At NTRE Vulcan, which is in the mainstaffed by officers on detached duty with a handful of permanent staff, the dual ITsystem has presented some commun-ication challenges for DSPO Inspr PaulChalmers.

Paul has embraced Defence Connect asa way of addressing these challenges. Hesaid: “Defence Connect can provide somesolutions for me as a leader to improvecommunications with staff who are, in themain, on Long Term Detached Duty fromother stations in the Clyde. It is importantthat they feel connected and are kept upto date with useful information.”

After a recent visit to NTRE Vulcan Ch Supt Disher commented: “I was reallyimpressed with the efforts Paul and histeam are making to keep staff updated.Their use of multi-media monitorsthroughout the MDP Building is a greatway to ensure staff keep abreast of Stationand Force changes and are kept briefed andup to date.”

The use of Defence Connect willcontinue within the Division as part of the‘Exploitation of Technology’ initiative andwill feature alongside other emerging areasbeing explored, including Webinars,desktop video conferencing and thecapabilities of the new MODNet.

SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS NUCLEAR DIVISION

MAY 2015 BROUGHT NEW RECRUITS to RNADCoulport for the first time in eight years including Constables Ryan McCartney andSamantha Todd. During their recruits training they received input on the force initiative ‘Our Purpose and Policing Style’.

Being well versed in the topic when they arrived back onstation, they realised that there would be benefits in passingon their learning and understanding to their colleagues asthey felt they had a fresh take on the job.

They adapted the original Powerpoint presentation tomeet the needs of shift workers to engender discussion,showing colleagues that it really is a mind-set that they havebeen using already throughout their careers.

After testing it first on their shift Inspector, Sergeant andTutor Constable, they were ready to deliver it to theirsection colleagues.

Taking small groups of no more than eight at a timeprompted group interaction, allowing questions anddiscussion. In parallel, Sam and Ryan used these sessions todevelop an insight into the wealth of experience theircolleagues had both about the Force and Coulport, all ofwhich they felt adds to the MDP mission of protecting theMOD Estate.

Their approach included linking the ‘Purpose and Style’through different scenarios and situations that colleaguesmay deal with in their day-to-day tasks. This allowed

colleagues to relate to and visualise how each part of theinitiative fitted into their roles and duties as a police officer.Colleagues were able to understand each part of theinitiative and put in into context of how every action theytake is based around the MDP Policing Purpose and Style.

The initiative was well received with very positivefeedback. Sam and Ryan found that this opportunity hasprovided them with a fresh outlook on the job and newways of thinking and created a positive experience.

They have since provided input to senior managementgroups including the Clyde SMT and also to the NuclearDivisional Commander and her Senior Management Teamfrom across the Nuclear Division. Divisional CommanderChief Supt Beth Disher said:

‘ It is a credit to both Sam and Ryan for the hardwork and enthusiasm they have both put into this,the confidence they have displayed when presentingtheir work to my senior team shows the high calibreof officers that are joining the MDP.’

New recruits spreading the word

The UK’s Armed Forces Minister PennyMordaunt and the Minister for DefenceProcurement Philip Dunne also attended.

With more than 230 aircraft, from 37air arms in 24 countries participating in the Air Tattoo the event has a defencediplomacy role to play, whilst also providinga showcase in which to demonstratecurrent – and future – capabilities of the RAF.

Of course security to the event andaircraft is just one piece of work, but aparticularly important piece whenconsidering the country’s current politicalenvironment.

It is therefore pleasing to put on recordthat the air show was a ‘safe’ event and theMDP role of providing ASV teams and ens-uring the safety of the F-35, F-22 and otherprotected assets was not compromised.

Although my piece of this article wasto provide readers with a general overviewof RIAT, it would be amiss of me if I didn’ttake this opportunity to thank all of thoseofficers who were involved, whether thatbe from the planning phases through tothe delivery and execution of our role.

These events do not just happen bythemselves and hand on heart I can saythat our ‘Policing Style and Purpose‘ wasdelivered to the full.

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SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS TERRITORIAL DIVISION

� HOPEFULLY SOME OF YOUwill have read the article Iwrote in 2014, which saw ourChief Constable Alf Hitchcockpay his first operational visit tothe Royal International AirTattoo. So I suppose thequestion is why have I beenasked to write again?

Well, this can really be answered byhistory being made with the first everinternational display by Lockheed Martin’sF-35B Lightning II, the world’s mostadvanced fighter jet. This fighter plane ofcourse will be gracing the Queen ElizabethCarriers in due course and seeing a flypastby an F-35B and two RAF Typhoons gave aglimpse of the future of the UK’s defencecapability. Quite a sight I can assure you.

The air show, which took place in thesummer, is something really quitespectacular and attracted a sell-out crowdof 153,000 people. On the same day aswitnessing the F-35B’s debut display, the airshow also hosted a visit by the Duke andDuchess of Cambridge who attended withPrince George on his first ever public

engagement. Other Royals attending thethree-day event were HRH Prince Michaelof Kent and HRH Prince Feisal of Jordan.

The importance and significance of the air show is global and this wasdemonstrated in having 36 international

military chiefs in attendance, including AirChief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, Chief of theDefence Staff; Air Chief Marshal SirStephen Hillier, the RAF Chief of the AirStaff (Designate); and new Chief of the USAir Force, General David Goldfein.

Senior industry guests included theChairman of BAE Systems, Sir Roger Carr;Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewsonand Airbus CEO Mr Allan McArtor.

RIAT 2016 makes historyBy Inspr Matthew Stagg,SPO RAF Fairford

Photographs by Paul Kemp

1918

� Talkthrough received the following messagefrom Territorial Division Commander, CHIEF SUPT MICK O’BYRNE:

‘As the Divisional Commander of TerritorialDivision, I am delighted to share with you some of the work reflecting the dedication andprofessionalism of my staff through what has been a particularly demanding year for us.’

“As can be seen from the articles this has covered arange of challenging and diverse activity which has includedrewards of recognition, participation in counter terrorismexercises and the front end delivery of operational policing.

“This is only a fraction of some of the excellent workdelivered by our staff throughout the division on a day-to-daybasis, keeping our communities and our customers safe.”

TerritorialDivision

SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS TERRITORIAL DIVISION

TUESDAY 25 OCTOBER 2016 saw TerritorialDivision Commander Chief Superintendent Mick O’Byrne visit Ballymena to collect ‘TheWorkplace Charter on Domestic Violence’ GoldAward on behalf of MDP Northern Ireland.

The award recognises the work that MDP havedelivered in the last twelve months in developing/reviewing/renewing policy and working with otheragencies that seek to support, protect and reassurevictims of domestic violence.

With regards to policy, this award particularlyrecognises work carried out in creating the Joint PolicingProtocol policy on Domestic Violence which was signedby CC MDP Alf Hitchcock on his first visit to NorthernIreland following his appointment in 2013.

That policy brings together all agencies dealing withDV/DA in the Defence Community in NI under a singlepolicy and is reviewed annually. This includes PSNI, RMP,MDP, Woman’s Aid, Men’s Advisory Project, ArmyWelfare services, and Victim Support NI.

This is the third year that MDP have achieved theGold award. It recognises that MDP as an organisationare committed to working with other agencies tofacilitate the best support to victims of this crime,responding effectively to disclosures, whether from thevictim or from third parties.

Sergt Jimmy Carr DCPO NI stated: “It is thesignposting of victims to the appropriate support groupswhich is the cornerstone of the MDP response to DV inNorthern Ireland.

“Police involvement in responding to DomesticViolence is very limited to the initial response, identifyingthe victim, carrying out a risk assessment, identifyingoffences, and arresting the alleged offender. It goeswithout saying that MDP will always seek to bringoffenders before the court.

“However MDP can only provide the initialprotection and reassurance to victims, but the continuedsupport needs to come from those best suited toprovide it, whether that is the internally based ArmyWelfare system or externally using groups such asWoman’s Aid and Men’s Advisory Project.

‘ It is this signposting that truly provides thesupport, protection and reassurance long termthat victims need. Over a number of years MDPhas sought to develop relationships with thoseagencies, to allow for successful signpostingwhen appropriate.’

The pictures show TD Commander Mick O’Byrnecollecting the award from ACC Will Kerr PSNI, and PC’sMel and Willie Burns showing the award.

Gold Award forMDPNorthern Ireland

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SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS TERRITORIAL DIVISION

� ‘UNIQUE SPECIALISTPOLICING’and ‘The country’slargest Marine PolicingCapability’ were two sentenceswhich grabbed my attentionwhen I first began to look intoa transfer to the MDP from aHome Office force.

After ten years as a frontline officer, I felt ready for a new challenge, and wasimmediately drawn to the MDP as achance to develop my career in a newdirection.

Now nine months after I transferredonto the Portsmouth Marine Unit, it isinteresting to reflect how those twosentences have impacted upon me duringthe biggest period of change in my policingcareer. Our role here in the MDP is

certainly unique, we do indeed haveimpressive specialist capabilities, and I amdelighted to be a part of that marinepolicing capability at such an exciting time,with the arrival of the QEC Aircraft Carriersand associated uplift in Marine policingnumbers and capability.

I have an interest in the CounterTerrorism and Protective Security areas ofpolicing business, and decided the MDPmay well provide the new direction I waslooking for. I applied to the MDP havingdone my homework – I found out aboutthe role by speaking to serving officers aswell as reading a wealth of material online,and something chimed with me about thespecialist remit of the force.

The officers I spoke to bothunderstood and valued their role, and I wasstruck by the enthusiasm regarding thedeveloping scope of the MDP’s operation,particularly at Portsmouth with the

increase in numbers and capability with the arriving new aircraft carriers.

The application process took severalmonths, but finally I started at Wethersfieldand before long I was in post on thePortsmouth Marine Unit, as an AFO – two specialisations that colleagues in myformer force would give their right arms to obtain!

My new colleagues welcomed me tothe team, and I found myself fielding a lotof questions about what life was like in aHome Office force, and how the MDPcompared.

The main thing for me wasunderstanding how my new role differedfrom the Home Office. I am fortunate thatmy inspector met with me early on andspent time explaining the core MODrequirements and how our work needs tofit with these. It is important to have thatunderstanding of what our purpose is andwhy the MDP is here. With that in place,everything soon makes sense.

The MDP should hold its head high for the specialist capabilities that we have,and I am delighted to be part of anorganisation that is increasingly beingrecognised by government and the widerpolicing family for what we can offer – Op Temperer being one such example.

The opportunities afforded to officershere are impressive. Not only is there thefact that all officers undertake an AFOcourse, but there are also numerous otheropportunities available on TSG, Dogs orMarine Units.

I have also been fortunate enough togain a promotion to Sergeant. I had passedmy OSPRE Part 1 and 2 in my previousforce, and had amassed a lot of time as anacting and temporary Sergeant, but noopportunities existed for substantivepromotion posts. The MDP recognised myqualifications and experience, and I wasgiven an interview board – anotherexample that in the MDP the opportunitiesare there should you want to take them.

I simply cannot recommend the MDPenough. It is important, though, to do yourhomework and remember that the MDP isa specialist force with a tightly focusedremit. It so happens that remit is exactlywhere my interests within policing lay, sothe decision for me was an easy one and Icould not be happier with my decision. If itis for you too then get your forms in andjoin us!

No regretsover transferto MDP. . .

By Sergt Alex Stypulkowski,HMNB Portsmouth

MDP OFFICERS from Portsmouth joined up withtheir Hampshire counterparts from the CharlesDickens Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) for the Victorian Festival of Christmas, ensuringthat this important local event ran verysmoothly, with no major issues.

Sergt Richard Holland of the NPT said: “It was anexcellent community engagement event, during whichthe general public were very happy to see police in arelaxed environment and appreciative that we were therekeeping them safe.

“By having three pairs we were able to deal withmissing persons, lost property and suspicious personsvery quickly, requiring no additional resourcing at all.

“The mixed pairs of Hantspol and MDP really workwell and this event provided a great opportunity to worktogether and build up contacts. Also given that MDP are now doing VCS and assisting with Op Build, we could give some advice and guidance to their lessexperienced officers.

“With a ProjectServator teambeing formed byMDP Sergt GuyHibbert, this was areally good start to effectiveinformation sharing, particularly for me on my beat given that patrols have been and will be happening on my patch.

“We also now have a new tea/breakfast stop at Unicorn Gate! The relationship that Sergt Hibbert and Ihave formed will be of huge benefit to both Police forces.

“We also made use of social media to send outpositive community engagement messages and jointworking tweets.

“Finally I would very much like to thank Guy and allhis officers who took part in the event with me. Theywere all professional and genuinely glad to be involvedand my officers really enjoyed working with them.”

IN AUGUST 2016, two Central Operations doghandlers, PC Darren Wright and PC GaryHerron, undertook and successfully passed aneight-week drugs dog course organised and ranby South Yorkshire Police.

This was an intensive course that required both dogand handler to be sufficient in two disciplines ofsearching; ‘pro-active’ (building, vehicles and areas) and‘passive’ (people scanning).

Police dogs ‘Enzo’ (Springer/Pointer cross) and‘Oscar’ (Labrador) were assessed in a variety of locations,such as airports and shopping centres, in order to testtheir ability to work effectively in built up areas. Guidedby their handlers, both dogs had to demonstrate thatthey could locate the drug hides of both static andmobile members of the public, who were carryingsubstances on themselves or in bags and suitcases.

On the day of licensing, both dog teams wererequired to conduct a search of a shopping centrecontaining a number of pre-placed volunteer ‘carriers’inside. These carriers were unknown to each dog team,who then had to successfully navigate the area andlocate each drug hide.

Both dog teams successfully located all of the drugcarriers and therefore passed the course with flyingcolours – WELL DONE!

Drugs dog course success

Joint patrols at PortsmouthChristmas festival

2322

� THE CENTENARY of the Battle of Jutland wascommemorated in Belfast on 31 May 2016, with theopening of HMS Caroline as a visitor attraction.

MDP officers provided assistanceto the security operation at therequest of PSNI. Over four hundredguests were invited to the launch,including a number of VIPs and MDP

officers assisted at the search regime in order to ensure all guests weresearched prior to entry.

Situated close to the Titanicsignature building, HMS Caroline is thelast remaining vessel from the onlymajor sea battle of the First WorldWar. MDP officers with lengthy servicewill remember and maybe even servedat HMS Caroline in its latter days whenit saw service as the home of theUlster Division Royal Naval Reserve.

The event which also commem-orated the Irish Sailor who served inthe Great War coincided with the start of that battle, a battle which saw 8,645 British and German sailorskilled.

During the battle HMS Carolinemade contact with the German fleetfiring three 6 inch, nine 4 inch shells,and two torpedoes before retreatingunder heavy fire.

Fought over 31 May – 1 June 1916the Battle of Jutland was the largestever clash of dreadnoughts andinvolved 250 ships and 100,000 sailors.In the aftermath of the overnightbattle 14 British and 11 German shipshad been sunk, resulting in 6,094British and 2,551 sailors killed.

Invited guests to the eventincluded HRH Prince Michael of Kent,the Second Sea Lord and ArleneForster MLA First Minister forNorthern Ireland.

DCPO officers remained on duty atthe event on completion of the searchregime, providing reassurance toinvited guests, which includeddescendants of those who served atsea during the Great War.

The photograph shows MDPofficers after the event where they hadperformed those security relatedreassurance duties in support of BelfastHarbour Police and PSNI.

The drawdown of Op Herrick and closure of theInternational Policing and Secondments Office,along with the reset of MDP, has seen minimalactivity in this important work stream for aperiod of nearly two years.

Moving forward, MDP has retained a close liaisonand delivered support activity at the Permanent JointHeadquarters (PJHQ), which also saw a visit by ACC OpsPaul McLaughlin during October 16 for cross depart-mental briefings and to engage with other Role Ownersfrom across Defence. MDP has also recommenced itswider contribution to MOD’s operations overseas by

offering its staff to an investigators post in Kabul,Afghanistan.

MDP maintains its Chief Officer representation andvisibility on the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC)International Coordination Committee and has briefedits international investigative work, along with UK policeprocesses, at Ministerial level. More recently, HQ Opshas tasked the development of a series of supportingpolicy and Standing Operating Procedures, currently atthe consultation stage, which are planned as acornerstone for future international deployments byMDP officers.

INTERNATIONAL POLICING

JutlandCentenaryCommemorated

SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS TERRITORIAL DIVISION

Hereford Garrisoncelebrates . . .75th Anniversary ofthe Special Air Service� ON SATURDAY 16 July 2016a prestigious event was held at Stirling Lines, Credenhill,Hereford Garrison to comm-emorate the 75th Anniversaryon the formation of the SAS.

Stirling Lines is the home of 22Regiment, Special Air Service.

The event officially opened at1100 hours to music played by theband of the Scots’ Guards. To markthe anniversary, a speciallycommissioned Bronze Statue wasunveiled by the Commanding Officer22 Regiment Special Air Service incompany with Prince William.

The event was attended by over5,000 persons including servingmembers and veterans of theRegiment plus numerous other highprofile guests, dignitaries, civilian staffand family dependants.

A comprehensive search, securityand policing operation was thoroughlyplanned, with MDP and the StationSecurity Officer forming a closeworking partnership with the WestMercia and Warwickshire PoliceAlliance, who also provided policeresources for a remote satellite carpark, plus the Metropolitan PolicePersonal Protection Team assigned tothe Royal Family.

From the outset, both MDP andWest Mercia Police were involved in

the planning process with the MilitaryEvent Planning Team, with a numberof meetings, table-top exercises andsite recces held leading up to the day itself.

Inspr Graham Musto, SPO ofHereford Garrison was the EventSilver Commander. MDP officerscontrolled entry and exit to the camp,with MDP Explosives Search DogTeams and Licensed Search Officersconducting comprehensive searches of the Officers’ and Sergeants’Messes, VVIP routes and main displayareas for customer reassurance. MDPand their West Mercia search counter-parts also performed searches of allVIP and Disabled vehicles entering the camp.

A large number of attractions andactivities were programmed

throughout the day, including aHeritage display, military vehicles newand old and a remarkable ‘juniorselection’ assault course that washugely popular with the children (andsome adults) with all candidates ‘bluebadged’. One of the most memorablehighlights was an aerial display by aWW2 Spitfire flown by a worldchampion aerobatic pilot.

This brought the whole event to astandstill, with the pilot unable toresist going over the allotted time,making several additional low passesto the delight of the crowd.

The event officially closed at 1800hours. The day was a huge successwith no disorder or criminality beingexperienced during the event, theonly policing intervention requiredwas when two children weretemporarily lost, but subsequentlyreunited with their families. Otherwise it was an almost perfectcelebration for the 75th anniversary of the SAS.

The Regiment were delighted withthe support and professional policingof the event by the MDP and the SPO would like to thank all MDPHereford personnel who were on duty on the day and all those officersboth at Hereford and TerritorialDivision, who contributed towards the event planning, making thepolicing operation such a resoundingsuccess.

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SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS TERRITORIAL DIVISION

� MOD CORSHAM hosted aMajor Incident exercise inOctober, which combined anemergency services and ISSOperational response and anemergency services TacticalCoordinating Group and ISSBusiness Continuity ResponseGroup (BCRG) Tacticalresponse.

Participants included the threeexternal emergency services, local gov-ernment departments, Public HealthEngland, Swindon local resilienceforum and the Environment Agency.

The main aim of the exercise wasto test the MOD Corsham IncidentManagement plan and the MODCorsham Site Recovery Tactical plan,and how the MOD would work withthe emergency services during a majorincident. By delivering a joint exercisethe MDP were able not only to testthe operational capability of the localemergency services but moreover toassess the interoperability andcommand structure of all the agenciesinvolved and ISS at a tactical level.

Months of planning led up to theevent which took place on 7 Octoberand the event was delivered in twophases:

OPERATIONALEFFECTIVENESS

The first phase was an operationalcapability exercise that centred on theemergency services’ initial response toa Major incident and the site’s firstresponders’ reaction to the event, aswell as evacuation plans.

TACTICAL AND SITE BCRG RESPONSE

The second half revolved around twotable top groups the first being aTactical Co-ordination Group (TCG)comprising of senior officers from allof the key players. Also present was arepresentative of COBRA (the CabinetOffice emergency committee) whichhighlighted not only the criticalimportance of MOD Corsham toDefence but also the commitment atall levels to effective BusinessContinuity exercising. The secondgroup was the ISS Business Continuity

Response Group, who direct theMOD response and recovery at MODCorsham.

At 0930hrs the site went intolockdown as final preparations weretaking place, the carcass of a Lynxhelicopter was carefully positioned infront of the main building (405) atCorsham. Action AMPS providedmedical casualties which were madeup very realistically.

The exercise commenced just after10am, MDP as first responders werefirst on scene and a major incidentwas declared immediately; PC VicHillier was inundated with causalitiesand had to establish a hierarchy ofresponse very quickly.

Defence Fire Service were next onthe scene and conducted casualtyresponse procedures, meanwhileevacuations of key buildings weretaking place and BC plans wereinvoked. Wiltshire Police, fire serviceand ambulance first responders werevery quickly on scene and Wilts POLcommand was quickly established.

The site’s response was both rapidand efficient, walking wounded were

administered first aid, a casualtyhandling centre was established andstaffed by both emergency service and site representatives. The responsewas coordinated and managedeffectively.

In the afternoon tactical levelreactions to the incident wereexercised. This took a three phase planthat had injects from the morning’splay. The incident was ramped up toelicit a more involved response fromall parties.

The TCG was chaired by WiltsPolice Supt Dave Minty and focusedon casualty response, local impact,media responses, environmental fallout and recovery. The BCRG waschaired by RN Capt Shaun Prescott,the focus of which was maintainingeffective service delivery, communityimpact, BC plans and site support forthe emergency services’ response.

PS 2795 DavidHyde acted assubject matterexpert in supportof the group. Also present as an observer wasSupt Chris Yatesfrom Territorial Division Operations.

The two groups quickly established effective lines ofcommunication and independentlyprovided a coordinated response tothe incident. Support mechanismsfrom both teams were established.Overall primacy lay with WiltshirePolice and what was very positive was the site’s support from a seniormilitary perspective for the incidentand the hierarchy.

The scenario injects proved bothrealistic and challenging. Both teamssystematically worked through the

scenarios and demonstrated excellentinteroperability, key decision makingskills and tactical level capability,culminating in a combined debrief tocapture learning and areas ofdevelopment.

Overall the day was a completesuccess. It is rare that all of theparticipants have the opportunity tocome together and be testedsimultaneously, key learning points willbe taken away and distilled into thevarious Business Continuity and Resilience plans of all of the involved agencies.

Business Continuity and ResilienceExercise at MOD Corsham

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SPOTLIGHT ON OPERATIONS

EARLIER THIS YEAR following the MDPHQ PIRreview a new team was set up within HQ Ops called‘Operational Systems’.

Sergt Steve Woodgate, who heads up Ops Systems with thesupport of PCs Jimmy McIntosh and Ralph Bayley, explained that itspurpose was to consolidate management responsibility for businesscritical systems, thus removing the previous single points of failure.

The team is responsible for PNC Management and Bureaufunctions in Force and all system management aspects ofCommand and Control, ICCS and the Airwave network.

The Operational Systems team will ensure that the Forcecontinues to meet its responsibilities regarding PNC Bureaufunctions consistently, providing resilience to the work that Jimmyhas done over recent years.

By joining up the former PNC Bureau and CIS AICC team it isexpected that we will enhance the use and access to PNC and PNDat a control room level and thus support Officers on the groundmore effectively as the Operational Policing Model is adopted at

more stations across the Force. One area being looked at presentlyin conjunction with CID is making PND interrogation available24/7 to the Force.

As the Force moves forward the team is looking at thefunctionality enhancements that ControlWorks the replacement forNSPIS Command and Control will bring. This change was driven bythe impending move from Airwave to the Emergency ServicesNetwork (ESN) as C&C was not compatible with ESN.

Part of this work will be a fundamental review of the data wecurrently hold and how it can be made more readily available toofficers where and when they need it. This will include the ability forofficers to update their own incidents when appropriate to do so,thus reducing the workload on control room operators and empow-ering officers to be responsible for the incidents they are attending.

The team will continue to provide advice and best practiceguidance on all aspects of the operational use of Airwave and ESNwhen we begin transition, in support of operations and exercisesboth internal and multi-agency.

For them to be effective the Comms Tactical Adviser must beinvited to participate at the very earliest stages of operations andevent planning. They are also available 24/7 via CCR to assistwhere serious or protracted spontaneous incidents occur.

‘OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS’Team set up

� ROYAL NAVY personnelfrom Clyde-based naval units,including those from MDP,took part in memorial andRemembrance services thelength and breadth of thecountry in November.

Events began on Friday, November11, when Royal Navy and civilian stafffrom HM Naval Base Clyde gatheredto commemorate Armistice Day.Members of the Naval Base’s shoreestablishment – HMS Neptune – ledthe commemorations and were joined

by General Sir Gordon Messenger,Vice Chief of the Defence Staff(VCDS), to pay their respects to thosewho made the ultimate sacrifice.

In addition, on Sunday, November13, Naval Base Commander Clyde,Commodore Mark Gayfer,represented HM Naval Base Clyde at the Remembrance Service atHelensburgh’s cenotaph in HermitagePark.

Naval personnel from HMSNeptune also supported the RoyalBritish Legion (Scotland) led event byforming a ceremonial guard while

HMS Neptune Volunteer Bandprovided musical accompaniment.

The Helensburgh ceremony wasalso attended by local dignitaries andcommunity groups including the bandof the Helensburgh Pipes and Drums,Boys Brigade, Scouts and Girl Guides,amongst others.

With the Volunteer Band and theRoyal Navy Guard leading, the groupsformed a parade at Hermitage PrimarySchool and marched to the Garden ofRemembrance with CommodoreGayfer taking the salute outside thetown’s Victoria Halls.

The ClydeRemembers

CLARIFICATION. . .IN TALKTHROUGH issuenumber 160 (November 2015),in an article celebrating 100 YEARS OF WOMEN INPOLICING, it was stated thatex-MDP officer Sharon Taylorwas the first MDP officer topass the Strategic CommandCourse.

This was not correct, becauseeven though she was the first

female officer to do so, the firstofficer to pass the course wasretired MDP officer Roland Weeks.

We are happy to make this clearand apologise for the error.

Sharon remains the first MDPofficer, male or female, to achieveACC rank in a Home Departmentpolice force, having joined Devonand Cornwall Police in that rank inApril 2008.

MDP IN THE MEDIA

From: DAILY RECORD

Faslane canoeistin deep trouble

A GERMAN man sparked a major security alert

at Faslane – after paddling into restricted waters

in a canoe.

He made his way into the base near where a fleet of

nuclear submarines are based.

Ministry of Defence Police swooped on the 20-year-

old, who had been living at Faslane Peace Camp.

He was arrested and appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff

Court (where) he claimed he had been attempting to

canoe to Garelochhead. He admitted entering a

protected channel and Sheriff William Gallacher fined

him £100.

CHILDREN as young as 13 at HermitageAcademy, Helensburgh are being exposed toillegal drugs, parents fear.

The concerns were raised at a Parent Council meeting atthe school (in October). Following the meeting, HelensburghInspr Coleen Wylie confirmed parents had raised the misuseof illegal substances with police. She added that officers arepatrolling the area and said action will be taken againstindividuals concerned.

The school’s head teacher Geoff Urie was also inattendance at the meeting, alongside Sergt Tom Harkness,MDP DCPO Russell White and Louise Connor, an educationmanager for Argyll and Bute Council.

From: HELENSBURGH ADVERTISER

Parents fear misuseof drugs

Recent extracts from newspaper and magazine articleswhich have featured MDP . . .

2928

� PERSONNEL from HM Naval Base Clydeattended the Helensburgh Winter Festival onNovember 26-27, helping to both entertain andeducate visitors at the event.

Hundreds attended the two-day festival in the town’sColquhoun Square where a host of stalls, children’s entertainment,bands and street theatre were on display.

Performing on the square’s main stage were members of HMSNeptune Volunteer Band who kicked things off on the Saturdaywith a series of seasonal tunes designed to get the crowds in thefestive spirit.

On the same day, Royal Navy Clearance Divers from the Clyde-based Northern Diving Group (NDG) brought along some of theequipment used when tackling explosive ordnance around thecountry, including their remote controlled bomb disposal robotwhich particularly impressed young festival-goers.

Another favourite was the rigid inflatable boat brought alongby the Clyde Marine Unit and used to protect high-value shippingon the river Clyde.

Also representing the Ministry of Defence Police at the eventwas community police officer Russell White who attended with oneof their emergency vehicles.

The Festival, which has been on the go since 2012, is one of thebiggest Winter Festivals in the West of Scotland. Run byvolunteers, the Festival has become a key event in Helensburgh’scalendar.

Clyde Marine Unitjoins in thefestive fun

PC CLAIRE BATT, of thePerformance and AttendanceUnit and the Defence PoliceFederation Welfare Officer,attended the Memorial Courtin MOD Main Building inSeptember, having been short-listed for a Women In Defence Award.

The category was ‘Most Collab-orative Award’, the criteria for whichwas ‘Can demonstrate that creating acollaborative working arrangement withtheir organisation or working withanother one created a positive effect.’

Claire (pictured fourth left) wasnominated by Inspr Jayne Dunn (MDP),

in recognition of how the welfare needsand concerns of MDP officers are raisedand managed by PC Batt, through theintroduction of a DPF specific welfareofficer, sponsored by the Force.

Said Claire: “I received a short-listaward of a very lovely pen and,although I didn't win, I had a lovely day networking with some veryawesome ladies!”

Claire short-listed forWomen In Defence Award � TWO YOUNG hen harrier

chicks have been satellitetagged with the help of MDPofficers at HMNB Clyde, aspart of a national project toprotect and conserve thesethreatened birds of prey.

The pair came from a nest of fouryoung located at the high securityCoulport site – the storage andloading facility for the UK’s Tridentnuclear warheads. All four chicks wereringed and two, a male and a female,were tagged.

The satellite tagging wasconducted as part of the Royal Societyfor the Protection of Birds (RSPB) partEU-funded Hen Harrier LIFE+ Project,an exciting five year programme ofnest protection, monitoring,

community engagement andinvestigations work to secure a futurefor these birds in Scotland andnorthern England.

The data gathered from the tagswill be monitored, to see where thebirds go and identify theareas where they are mostat risk.

Hen harriers are a redlisted bird species of highestconservation concern in theUK. These raptors werehunted to extinction overmost of the UK during theVictorian era and althoughtheir populations haverecovered since then, theyremain very much at riskfrom disturbance and illegalkilling.

Sergt John Simpson, MDP WildlifeCrime Officer at the Base, said:

‘The Security at HM NavalBase Clyde that protects theSubmarine Service also providesa sanctuary for hen harriers, themost endangered bird of prey inthe UK.’

“We understand that hen harriersare a necessary part of a healthyfunctioning countryside and are pleasewe can play some part in helping toprotect them.”

Blánaid Denman, manager of theRSPB’s Hen Harrier LIFE+ Project, said:“The last national survey in 2010found Scottish hen harrier populationshad fallen by 20 per cent in just sixyears, with only 505 pairs remaining.

“According to an independentgovernment report, Scotland shouldbe able to support up to 1,790 pairs of harriers, but they are still beingblighted by illegal killing anddisturbance. As a result, these iconicbirds are now missing from hugeswathes of our landscape, when theyshould be an integral part ofScotland’s natural beauty.

“That’s why this type of work is soimportant, and why it’s so positive tosee a large landowner like the MODleading by example and championingthese birds.

“We’re delighted to have workedalongside the MOD, which has beenmonitoring and protecting this nest at Coulport. Given the parlous state of hen harriers in Scotland it’sfantastic to see an adult pair beingable to safely raise four fit and healthyyoung chicks.”

Sanctuary forendangeredbirds of prey

3130

� HRH PRINCE CHARLES visited HMNBDevonport in July, specifically to see the recentlycommissioned Energy for Waste plant operatingon the perimeter of the Naval Base.

The plant produces a good proportion of the base’senergy via waste products which is an area of great interest toHis Royal Highness.

After being shown around the facility, the Prince attendedat the Parade Ground and the Senior Rates Mess in HMSDrake, situated within the Naval Base, to be met by a 21 gunsalute. He was accompanied duringthe event by the Naval BaseCommander Cdre Ian ShipperleyADC RN.

Waiting to meet His RoyalHighness were 350 specially invitedguests, made up of ten represent-atives from each of the high profiledepartments which operate withinthe Naval Base. This includedService Personnel, Civilians,Contractors and The Ministry ofDefence Police. There were variousdisplays, showing an array ofbusinesses working within the base,including MDP.

On arrival at the parade groundPrince Charles took time to viewmany of the displays, stopping atMDP’s stand and interacting with allten officers in attendance, studyingthe Force’s promotional material and speaking with all of theofficers on a one-to-one basis. He chatted with the stationSPO Chief Inspr Claire Pitcher who introduced the membersof the team present.

One of the officers in attendance was PC Rachel Sully,who had recently passed out at Wethersfield aftercompleting her recruit’s course, and was in only her second

week on station. Rachel was displaying and wearing theuniform of an AFO and had the opportunity to speak withHis Royal Highness whilst other officers present were invarious other uniforms which outlined the specialist areaswithin which the MDP operates.

There were two fully outfitted RHIB Officers fromDevonport Marine Unit, also PC Karen Crossley displayed herGPD Dog ‘Flint’ alongside EXPO Dog ‘Max’. Prince Charlesspent some time petting Flint whilst PC Crossley explained

Flint and Max’s capabilities.

There were also two of thestation civilian staff members inattendance – Janette Clark andShari Farrar. All other patrolofficers present had an opport-unity of a short conversation withthe Royal visitor.

The display, discussions andinformation gave the Prince agood insight into our duties,responsibilities and capabilitieshere at Devonport.

After viewing the displays asmall Garden Party type themedreception was facilitated by theRoyal Navy and all participants and guests had the opportunity to merge together and enjoy the occasion.

After the event the Naval Base Commander Cdre Ian Shipperley ADC RN took timeout to thank all those involved for delivering a very positiveand enjoyable day for His Royal Highness and gave hisappreciation to all of the personnel involved. He said: “Ouraim was to give HRH a sense of the rich diversity of activitythat makes Devonport such a special place and we certainlydid that.”

HRH thePrince ofWalesvisitto HMNBDevonport

By Sergt NeilMacpherson

THE TRADITIONAL FAMILIES’ DAY at RAFFylingdales was this year re-branded as the ‘RAF Fylingdales Summer Gala’, with the MDPcontingent making a significant contribution tothe July event’s success.

They provided a static vehicle display, a static displayof firearms and equipment plus a police dog skillsdemonstration.

The event was well attended and supported bynumerous agencies, including Defence Fire RiskManagement Organisation, North Yorkshire Fire andRescue and Scarborough Institute of Advanced Motorists.

MDP Community Liaison Officer (CLO) PC MalWright told TalkThrough: “It was a great success and anexcellent opportunity for liaison with the RAFCommunity.”

COMMUNITYENGAGEMENTat summer gala

3332

FROM: Commodore Jeremy Blunden,

Director ACSC and Assistant Commandant

Maritime, Joint Services Command and Staff

College, Shrivenham (to CC Alf Hitchcock)

Thank you for addressing the Advanced Command and Staff

Course (ACSC) with your lecture on ‘Leading Change’.

Your experiences within the Lancashire, Metropolitan and

Bedfordshire Police Forces allowed you amply to illustrate

the challenges in leading change programmes through a

series of examples, personal insights and entertaining

vignettes.

I think the variety and depth of some of the questions was

indicative of the rapport and interest that you sparked within

the student cohort and I was grateful for your personal

insights and frank answers given during the question period.

I am extremely grateful for the support that you offered and

hope that you may be able to support us again in the future.

LETTERS

FROM: Andy Mackinder, Head ofStrategic Weapons Project Team,MOD Abbey WoodI would like to thank you and commend yourofficers for their performance during the month ofprotests at the Atomic Weapons Establishment atBurghfield, in June.

From the first round of planning to the culminationof the protest period we were left in no doubt asto the capability and determination of yourofficers.

The nature of the protest evolved throughout themonth and your officers demonstrated consider-able flexibility in meeting those challenges. The new Memorandum of Understanding betweenyourselves and Thames Valley and HampshirePolice proved to be a significant success, withimproved intelligence sharing, clearly definedjurisdiction and interoperability between theForces; the development of this is muchappreciated.

Despite the best endeavours of the various protestgroups, the police operation should be consideredan unqualified success, with no impact on the safeand secure delivery of the United Kingdom’sstrategic deterrent.

FROM: DSTL PSyA

I want to thank on behalf of Director Infrastructure, Head of FMS and myselfall MDP personnel who contributed to the smooth execution of the Dstl 100event, which took place at DSTL Porton Down and was managed in a secure,safe, well organised and smooth manner.

We recognise the considerable effort that goes into organising such an eventand it was good to see that security played an important part in helping theevent coordination team deliver such a successful event, providing significantsupport at both the pre-event enabling stage and on the event itself.

Your contribution helped ensure that the event ran smoothly and enabledvisitors to enjoy the day in a safe and secure environment. Well done to allconcerned/involved and a special thanks to MDP staff for ensuring smoothtraffic flow management, event security, and providing that all importantlevel of confidence relating to our ability to manage any incident with thatscale of visitors, as well as managing post event checks/patrols.

Additionally, very well done for spotting and dealing sensitively andprofessionally with a particular visitor who had a bag with an inappropriatelogo on it.

FROM: Commander T J Dathan RN,

Commander Engineering Support Group,

HMNB Devonport

I am writing to thank you and your dog handling staff for

hosting 11 students taking part in HMS Drake’s School

Work Experience Week.

From the moment of arrival they were enraptured.

Constable David Gibbs and his colleagues did a

marvellous job demonstrating the dogs in action, while

the tour of the compound was both informative and

enjoyable.

As a result of their experiences at least one of the

students is now considering joining the MOD Police in

order to be able to work in the dog handling unit. It is

recognised that the success of this serial is due to you

allowing it to take place and the time and professionalism

of the dog handling personnel the students came into

contact with.

If you could pass on my thanks to all concerned it would

be very much appreciated.

_.Well done, and thank you

RETIRED MDP OFFICER Kevin Goodman has contactedTalkThrough, keen toencourage former and servingofficers living in the ThamesValley area to attend meetings,or consider joining his localbranch of the InternationalPolice Association.

Kevin, who retired in June 2012,served at AWE Burghfield, RAF Welfordand the CTU at RAF Croughton. Before that, he served in the UKAEAConstabulary at BNFL Sellafield andHarwell Laboratories.

Regarding his membership of theThames Valley Branch of the IPA, hesaid: “We have several members of theIPA who are either serving or retiredMDP officers living and/or working inthe Thames Valley area, but who don'tattend our meetings or events and wewant to try to rectify this. Also we arekeen to attract new members to theorganisation.”

The International Police Association(IPA) is the largest organisation for police officers and police staff in theworld. The Association was founded on 1st January 1950 by Arthur Troop(1915-2000), a Sergeant in theLincolnshire Constabulary.

Its motto is in Esperanto: ‘Servo perAmikeco’ (Service through Friendship).The aim of the IPA is to create friendlylinks and encourage cooperationbetween individual police officers andpolice staff around the world. It nowhas about 400,000 members andsections in 63 countries. The mainoffices of the organisation are inNottingham.

The Thames Valley branch startedlife as IPA No 6 Region – Buckingham-shire. Later it was put into No.7 Regionand on the amalgamation of the policeforces of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire,Oxfordshire, Oxford City and ReadingBorough in 1968 two Branches wereformed, Thames Valley North andThames Valley South.

In 2013 it was decided to amalga-mate the two branches into onecovering the whole of the TVP area.

Its four meetings a year normallytake place at the Royal British LegionClub in Abingdon, although the BranchAGM on 17 February 2017, will be atthe Officers’ Mess, RLC VauxhallBarracks, Didcot.

Said Kevin: “We have also under-taken visits to such varied places as theBodleian Library, St Tiggywinkle’sAnimal Hospital, the Whitechapel BellFoundry, the Ceremony of the Keys atthe Tower of London and many more.Our Branch magazine ‘Small World’ isusually published quarterly.

“If you are in the Thames Valleyarea and a member of the IPA andwould like to come along to one of our meetings or events, visit ourFacebook page, or if you are interested in joining the organisation pleasecontact in the first instance Mike Vinceat mike.vince@btinternet.com who will be able to help you.”

FROM: Mark Corbet Burcher, Head of Protocol, MOD WhitehallI suspect your officers rarely receive the thanks they deserve. Yesterday(11 Oct) they provided an excellent service in escorting the President ofCroatia and her party from the Royal Horse Guards hotel to the Ministryof Defence.

They also secured the whole site; the event passed off with the minimumfuss and in a splendidly understated but effective way. Please pass on mythanks to all those who made this possible.

InternationalPolice AssociationBranch NewsThames Valley

FROM: Neil Hare, Director Warhead Capability, MOD WhitehallI am writing to thank you and your team for your work in supporting the visitof the US Deputy Energy Secretary, Dr Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, to AWE. This was an important interaction for the UK with a key figure in the USnuclear programme and your team was key to the successful outcomeachieved.

The support provided by the Ministry of Defence Police both in preparationfor the visit and on the day was outstanding. I am very conscious that theassistance provided to the visit by the SW Transport team and MDP SpecialEscort Group was in addition to core duties and we are very grateful for theextra effort involved.

I should note particular thanks to Brian Wilson, the MDP Police Commanderon the day. The smoothness and efficiency of Dr Shirwood-Randall’s movedown to London and between Aldermaston and Burghfield was very muchdown to the professionalism of Brian and his team. With a very busyschedule, this support was greatly appreciated both by the Deputy Secretaryand her security detail. Please pass on my thanks to Brian and his whole team.

MDP deployed in support of the Royal Navy under Operation Boruca: a four-day operation – planned by MDP Portsmouth and Whitehall –involving the water side protection of HMS Bulwark, on a formal visit toLondon. Portsmouth Marine Unit officers were supported by colleaguesfrom Clyde Marine Unit and the Metropolitan Police River Policing Unit,in another example of MDP’s ability to surge in support of Defenceinterests, providing unique specialist policing services.

Photograph: Paul Kemp

Published by the Ministry of Defence Police and produced by Williams Lea Ltd (12/16)

InSafeHands