Force specialists practice people removal at Stadium MK.
Members of a specialist police division have been using MK Dons’ famous walls to practice abseiling, rope safety and people removal today.
Thames Valley Police’s crack Rope Access Team chose the football ground’s shiny exterior for a day’s training and incident rehearsal in readiness for real-life events.
The high-rise specialists have to rehearse once a month in line with their continuing professional development (CPD) and need regular practice to enable them to do their unique job efficiently.
The team are called in when someone needs to be removed from a high place after they have ‘chosen to be there’. That includes protestors sitting in buildings, on bridges and in trees.
The team have previously dealt with HS2 rail link demonstrators and were called earlier this year when war protestors staged a sit-in on Oxford’s famous Radcliffe Camera building.
“It’s our first time here at Stadium MK,” said a spokesman for the division. “We have training facilities at our headquarters in Upper Heyford, but you can get used to the same scenario, so we try to find other places to practice.
“We have a good relationship with the Dons, and they let us come here today. We train like this once a month so that we are familiar with everything should we get the call to go out.”
