“Practical, realistic and most importantly, simplistic skills and strategies that we can actually use in the field. Opened my eyes to aspects of use of force and officer survival beyond the scope of our course. Exhausting, but enjoyable and informative. I would highly recommend this program to all officers. Excellent course.” Client Testimonial
Customised Programs
Tailored solutions for progressive agencies
For agencies/organisations that have specific operational requirements, we are pleased to offer program customisation. The ability to design and implement operational safety programs at officer AND instructor levels, tailoring programs to meet specific client needs, is achieved through open consultation with key project personnel. Content is designed around our innovative Select Integrated Modular System (S.I.M.S.), where the particular content components are selected and in what format. The program is created in draft form and through liaison with project staff, further customised in terms of actual content to facilitate control over all phases of design, development and implementation. During the design phase, consideration is also given to program delivery and evaluation, so all aspects are coordinated simultaneously for a smooth, seamless final product. Only once the final draft is approved does the program get implemented in the workplace, and it maintains the ability to be further refined at any stage throughout the process.
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Core Operational Safety Content
These units provide the foundation of operational safety training. They introduce key strategies and equip personnel with effective skills to ensure they have the advantage in the operational environment. With emphasis on proper risk assessment and harm minimisation, they cover the basic tactical force responses required for field personnel. Proper mind set is emphasised and all programs involve extensive practical application using innovative drills for skill acquisition and realistic operational preparation. Theory common to these units includes threat assessment, effects of stress, functional verbalisation, lawful guidelines and liability, and core safety principles.
Unarmed Defence introduces the basic principles of personal safety, and covers effective strategies of dealing with threats within 2-arms length. Content is separated into passive countermeasures (protecting personal space), grab countermeasures (quick release strategies) and active countermeasures (verbal/physical ‘distractions’).
Physical Control focuses on key principles to quickly gain control of resistive subjects. Options are presented as escort and control measures for low risk subjects, or high threat restraint and detain against resistive subjects. Designed to work under operational conditions and provide the opportunity to disengage or escalate.
Handcuff focuses on the application of restraints in a variety of operational circumstances. It covers rationale for use, types of restraints, maintenance, principles of handcuffing, and gear selection, carriage and presentation. Operational strategies include subject control (cooperative or resistive), application, escort, search and removal, for operatives working solo or with backup. It discusses some of the common handcuffing misconceptions, the danger they pose to personnel, and how to avoid them.
Baton focuses on expandable batons, but the strategies can be equally applied for straight batons. It covers rationale for use, lawful guidelines for intermediate use of force, types of batons, maintenance, and gear selection, placement, carriage and presentation. Operational strategies include safe separation, opening/closing, strikes and targets, and weapon retention. It discusses counter-striking versus blocking and weapon defense with an impact weapon.
OC Spray focuses on the application of chemical aerosols to control subject resistance. It covers hostorical development, production levels and components, delivery systems and effects, procedures for approipriate selection and use of OC with operational and legislative parameters, including after care and documentation.
Firearms focuses on the skills and knowledge required to operate with a firearm on the job. The theory component covers safety, lawful guidelines regarding carriage, use and storage, firearm and gear selection, fundamentals of survival shooting and operational survival tactics. The practical component focuses on firearm use, from carriage to presentation to discharge to recovery. Range drills are progressive, from safety and familiarisation drills, to dry-drills, to live firing under controlled range conditions, to the principles and tactics of survival shooting under realistic operational conditions. Program can cover operational certification for handguns, shotgun or both.
Specialised Operational Safety Content
These units build on the fundamental core skills, providing development for duty personnel, and benefit for specialised operators to hone their skill sets. Based on the core principles underlying all our programs, they explore a wide variety of risk situations. In conjunction with our innovative drills designed to safely place participants under realistic operational stress, these units utilise reality based training to lift the intensity, enhance realism and initiate an active participant response.
Active Countermeasures builds on basic distraction strategies by examining strike theory in more detail. It presents a greater range of natural ‘tools’ that personnel can employ, and couples this with a more in depth analysis of anatomical vulnerabilities. Combined, they give personnel greater potential for gaining an advantage, whilst creating options for motor dysfunction, pain compliance and overload. In addition to teaching application, it also provides defensive strategies against these techniques if they are employed against personnel, covering defensive countermeasure strategies.
Escape Countermeasures focuses on tactical responses from a variety of positions of disadvantage, including arm grabs, front/rear choke holds, side head locks, front/rear hair grabs, front/rear bear hugs, shoulder/lapel grabs and front/rear tackles.
Combat Takedowns examines strategies for manipulating a resistive subject to facilitate a ‘takedown’ maneuver that places them in a stable, controlled prone position. Using basic human biomechanics and principles of leverage and balance displacement, it covers a complete spectrum of takedown strategies. Gain the advantage by being able to take a resistive subject down first, to get control quickly.
Ground Countermeasures presents strategies designed for officers to prevail on the ground, and includes proper use of leverage, momentum and body mechanics, effective tactics for grappling, weapon retention and restraining from the ground position. Designed for the average person using the natural resources they have available.
Multiple Threat Countermeasures focuses on the tactics and strategies for applying them against several subjects at once, and covers survival mindset, positioning, neutralising threat formations, engagement versus disengagement, how to escalate a response safely, and how to turn disadvantage into advantage.
Edged Weapon Countermeasures focuses on the realities of edged weapon attacks as they occur in reality, and is designed to ensure safety and survival by teaching proper threat assessment and selecting proper force options for edged weapons. Content covers types of edged weapons, methods of carriage, concealment and presentation, and understanding how edged weapons can be used. The strategies are based on 1 key principle - survive 1st , control 2nd - and are simple, realistic and effective. Also examines common edged weapon ‘myths’ and how to avoid strategies that may be fatal.
Weapon Retention presents strategies for enabling operational personnel to survive what has the potential to be a life-threatening situation. Awareness of personal space and proxemics are the keys to effective weapon retention, but effective reactions coupled with simple strategies are essential. Personnel who carry tactical gear should have skills for retaining or regaining their weapon in the event a subject changes focus from the officer to the weapon.
Supplementary Operational Safety Content
These units focus on managing incidents after the fact, presenting information relevant to harm minimization, subject well-being, reporting, court proceedings and post incident trauma. Just as the resolution of violence takes special skills to manage, so to does the effective management of events following an incident. Physical skills provide a tactical advantage for safety and control; these strategies are designed to minimise disruption to work and personal life through stress and legal ramifications from a UOF incident.
Provision of After Care examines the effects of UOF strategies in terms of potential injuries, and presents effective methods of providing care, including treatment for injuries resulting from blunt force trauma, plus more life-threatening injuries from edged weapons and firearms.
Reporting Use of Force Incidents examines aspects of properly formatting incident reports, realistic timeframes relating to stress and recall, meeting agency policy whilst safeguarding the integrity of operational personnel, and how to use appropriate language to clearly and concisely describe the incident after the fact.
Post Incident Trauma Management examines the psychological and emotional effects on personal life, presents information relevant to understanding how we process stimuli through our perceptual filters and the resultant effect on behaviour, and relevant strategies for dealing with psychological trauma following UOF incidents.
Testifying for Use of Force Incidents examines the presentation of evidence in a judicial environment, based on mechanisms for explaining the response and circumstances under which it was exercised, obtaining legal representation, preparing for legal proceedings, court formats, proceedings and common legal strategies.
Course outcomes can be aligned to nationally accredited units of competency, or programs can be customised to specifically suit agency/organisational requirements.
CONTACT US for a tailored solution to meet your specific operational requirements. Your program, your choice!
