On the 19 January 2026 Derbyshire Police were fined £60,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. In addition to the fine the Constabulary has been ordered to pay £9,470 in costs.
The above is the result of a training exercise that went wrong causing injuries to officers on 2 February 2021. It has been reported that the officers were undertaking a riot training exercise. The drill entailed petrol bombs being thrown at the officers who were undergoing the training. Unfortunately, 4 officers were injured, 3 of which sustained burns which required hospital treatment. The injuries have had lasting effects on the officers, both physically and psychologically.
The HSE investigation found that Derbyshire Constabulary had failed to properly plan and risk assess the exercise. Key failings included:
- Failing to give officers adequate information on the lifespan, care, and inspection of the flame retardant PPE to ensure it provided adequate protection.
- Failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for both the production and deployment of petrol bombs during the training.
- Failing to implement safe systems of work to control the foreseeable risks created in the course of petrol reception training.”
Investigations undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that “the officers had been exposed to significant and avoidable risks during the exercise”.
It is a fine balance that forces need to navigate, high level appropriate training vs safety.
Planning is key and all considerations, plans and risk assessments should be clearly documented and evidenced.
This prosecution reinforces the importance of robust and detailed risk assessments ensuring officer safety is at the forefront of any training. Whilst it is beneficial for officers to undergo simulations to be equipped for high-risk situations, careful and thorough consideration of the associated risks must be made and documented with resultant control measures put in place to mitigate the identified risks. Central to this is that PPE must be at the very least, fit for purpose.
Please read the full HSE news article.
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