WEST Midlands Police welcomed the Mounties as Canadian cops tapped into the force’s expertise in dealing with disorder and major incidents.
West Midlands Police shared tips and training with its cross-Atlantic counterparts after welcoming 14 officers over a two-week period.
The force formed an alliance with the Canadian service over a decade ago when a Midlands-based officer emigrated to the North American country and passed on his knowledge.
During their visit to the region the overseas officers – from Inspectors to Chief Superintendents – were put through a public order command course at Cosford, spent time with the force’s football unit and took part in an exercise around policing a protest.
It also allowed West Midlands-based officers to learn about policing methods used in other countries and pick up ideas which can help further protect the public in this country.
PC Nathan Harrison, from the West Midlands Region Tactical Training Centre, said: “It was great to be able to welcome officers from Canada and learn about some of the challenges they face compared to ourselves.
“We have had a relationship with Canada for a number of years and they are always keen to understand the British model of policing.
“The group were very interested in how we operated – giving us a lot of positive feedback about our tactics.
“They took away some good ideas about how we train our officers which will hopefully benefit them in the future.”
