Part of psychiatric hospital used for police firearm training
Part of a psychiatric hospital just yards from a prison has been used for firearm training, it has emerged.
The empty nurses' accommodation block at St George's Hospital was made available for officers to practice armed searches, and to work with police dogs.
Police chiefs say the training has proved 'very usefu'l with the Armed Response Unit subsequently attending real incidents, including one to arrest several men wanted for armed robbery, where they were required to search buildings.
At their debrief, officers commented that the practice sessions had proved very helpful, with the search 'just like the training at St George's'.
Trust bosses say the regular presence of marked police vehicles and uniformed officers has also helped to deter crime.
Dave Rowley, of the central firearms unit, said: "We are grateful for the support offered by the trust to enable us to provide the public of Staffordshire with officers who possess the necessary skills when needed during firearms incidents."
Inspector Chris Dawson , head of armed response, firearms training and dog support units, added: "We are always looking for opportunities to increase our visibility within our local communities.
"Just because we are training, this should not mean that we are not visible to the public providing reassurance and preventing and deterring crime. It is also very useful to carry out the training in similar venues to where we would deploy operationally.
"The assistance shown to us by St Georges Hospital has proven to be invaluable and demonstrates what we can achieve when we work together. If you would like to know more about what our officers are doing in the local community you can follow us on Twitter at @RoadPolicing and @StaffsDogs "
