Police statement issued following HSE investigation after officers injured in training incident

Derbyshire Police Chief Constable Rachel Swann has issued a statement following the completion of an inquiry by The Health Safety Executive into the injuries to four police officers during a training exercise in February 2021.

The statement said: “The injuries were suffered when the officers were involved in public order training which required the deployment of so-called ‘petrol bombs’.

“The injuries to the officers were serious and that officers were harmed during their training is something that has been taken very seriously.

“During the HSE’s enquiries it was identified that risk assessments that applied to the training were not adequate in terms of the way they structured the handling, transport and delivery of petrol.

“However, it was found that those risk assessments were not linked to the injuries suffered by the officers, which were believed to have occurred because of a failure of the personal protective equipment issued to them. No criticism has been made of Derbyshire Constabulary’s use of that equipment in this case.

“Derbyshire Constabulary co-operated fully with the HSE investigation and suspended training until the risk assessments were revised and robustly rewritten.

“The training was then restored with the benefit of the new and updated risk assessments to ensure that handling, storage, transport and delivery of petrol is as safe as it possibly can be.

“We recognise that the risk assessments should have been regularly reviewed and updated and acknowledge that in failing to do so officers were put at risk, and we have apologised to those involved. We always look to prioritise the welfare of our staff and the public and this Court finding reflects our acknowledgement that on this occasion we failed to do so.

“We have learned the lessons from this failure and since 2021 have worked hard to ensure that the risks associated with the more dangerous elements of work for which we must prepare our officers are reduced to the lowest possible level.

“Although the investigation acknowledged that the injuries suffered by the officers were not caused by the issues which ultimately resulted in the court case, I want to make it clear that this in no way diminishes my regard for the welfare and safety of those officers.

“We continue to work tirelessly to make sure the training is as safe as it can be in all respects and we continue to look after our officers, staff and the public that they serve and have their safety and welfare as our main priority.”