RAOC Gazette - page 252
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1983 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1983 |
| Late date | 1983 |
| Transcription |
EXERCISE SATON 10 PHOTOGRAPHED BY MR A. B. WEBB 11 Ordnance Battalion (EOD) commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Grahame Cowell is responsible to the Home Office through MOD(A) for ensuring that EOD operators from all three Services are of a standard suitable to cope with 'IEDD (Bomb) situations' in Great Britain. This is achieved by each of the Battalion Companies, 521, 621 and 721 having biannual 'Licensing Exercises' involving, where possible, the Civilian Police, who are the first disciplined force to react to such situations. Historically, ' Licensing Exercises' began within 1 Ammo 1DU with a series of exercises to ensure staff were kept up to standard. Major Peter Courtney-Green in the mid 1970s realised that to be effective such exercises should involve the Police. He together with Superintendent Mike Prunty (Merseyside Police) devised the first of the SATON (SATOs North) series of exercises. Subsequent SATOs North (Major C. Jackman and Major A. Glasby) further developed the exercise with increasing RN, RAF and RE involvement into what is now truly a joint Police/Armed Service exercise. ^r^ W02 Nick Nice dons the helmet and wishes he didn't have to. Other units contributing to the exercise were: RAVC— Advising/Demonstrating explosive search dogs; RAMC(V)— ' N o Duff' medical cover and casualty simulation, REME— MFRT for vehicle and wheelbarrow repair, RPC—Witnesses and labour force. The scenario of the exercise is that of present day GB in that a ' supposed' member of the public witnesses an incident (eg, find, suspicious object, situation) and reports to the Police. The Police react as in real life and investigate, dependent upon the incident and their investigation an EOD team may be tasked to the scene. (Great assistance is provided by the Merseyside Police who provide a Mobile Operations Centre and all radio communication equipment). RN team get to work operating Wheelbarrow. Proctor watches. ' W02 Alan Major Alan Swindley, the present OC 521 Company, was responsible for organising SATON 10, held at the disused RAF Airfield Burtonwood, near Warrington. 521 Company's TAOR is large, supporting twenty one separate Police Forces, the majority of which take EOD training very seriously and wish to send teams to participate, so a degree of rotation has to take place. EOD teams participating in SATON 10 were: Royal Navy five teams, Royal Engineers one team, 421 Company RAOC two teams, 11 Ord Bn (EOD) fourteen teams, Royal Air Force five teams. The Police Forces participating by means of Operational Support Units, Sniffer Dogs and Observers were: Merseyside Police, Cheshire Constabulary, Greater Manchester Police, Lancashire Constabulary, West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police, Humberside Police, Cleveland Constabulary and North York- shire Police. The result of one pound PE4 in a car certainly impressed the spectators. — 209 — |
| Book number | R0406 |