Gold and Silver Firearms Command Training
The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is responsible for managing firearms training licences.
The only initial training for Firearms Silver Commanders that is supported by the ACPO Working Group on the Police use of Firearms (ACPO PUoF) and the NPIA is designed in two modules, to differentiate between those who will command spontaneous incidents and those commanding planned operations.
The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is responsible for managing firearms training licences.
The only initial training for Firearms Silver Commanders that is supported by the ACPO Working Group on the Police use of Firearms (ACPO PUoF) and the NPIA is designed in two modules, to differentiate between those who will command spontaneous incidents and those commanding planned operations.
There are currently seven forces in England and Wales that have completed the process necessary to comply with the firearms training licence. A further five forces are in varying stages of completion. It is anticipated that most of these forces will offer training to other constabularies.
Assistance will be provided by the NPIA to any force which wishes to become a training provider to deliver this training to the required standard.
An annual Silver Command Refresher package is currently being designed by the NPIA and this will be made available to forces in due course.
Currently the only ACPO PUoF formally accredited Firearms Gold Commanders course is one jointly delivered by Kent Police and Sussex Police. Due to limited capacity of these forces to deliver sufficient courses, the NPIA has now been commissioned to deliver Gold Firearms Commander courses for the whole police service. It is expected that the NPIA will be in a position to deliver this training at three sites by the end of 2008.
Under the ACPO Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, which is currently being revised by the NPIA on behalf of ACPO, individuals who successfully complete and pass either the Gold or Silver Command training will be regarded as occupationally competent to perform that role.
In each police force, the lead chief officer with responsibility for firearms will be responsible for implementing an auditable process to sign an individual off as operationally competent.
Provisions will be included in the guidance to provide for some individuals to complete a period of shadowing/mentoring before they are signed off.
Further details in relation to the design of firearms command training or information regarding compliance with the process for training delivery can be obtained from the NPIA by contacting Kevin Nicholson, a member of the NPIA firearms training licence team, at Kevin.nicholson@npia.pnn.police.uk