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Berks police take aim at new training facility
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A new, state of the art firearms range for Thames Valley Police is being opened at the force's Sulhamstead training centre in Berkshire next week.
The centre has now been endowed with a 50-metre firing range with moving targets, as well as a live-fire range, a simulator and two classrooms.
The range, which cost £5 million and took two years to build, is to be officially opened by Home Office minister Hazel Blears.
Chief constable Peter Neyroud commented: "It is the force's responsibility to make sure that [firearms] officers are equipped to handle the demands placed on them, while ensuring that we are flexible enough to meet changing needs in the future.
"Along with the exceptional quality of firearms trainers in Thames Valley this range will enable us to do exactly that."
Thames Valley Police claims that gun crime is actually decreasing in the region, but that the simultaneous growth in the illegal usage of imitation guns and air weapons has made it necessary for the force to up its armed deployments.
Thames Valley Police armed response vehicles were assigned to 565 incidents and armed officers deployed to 289 between April 1st 2004 and March 31st 2005.
© Adfero 2005
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