Law enforcement agencies' methods of training prospective officers for their positions are detailed here.
The University of Police Baden-Württemberg, located in Villingen-Schwenningen, is renowned for its rigorous deployment training programme that emphasises precision, stress management, and repetition to ensure police officers perform accurately and effectively under pressure.
At the heart of the training is the Integration Training (IGT), where police cadets combine learned skills in a larger scenario. This comprehensive approach involves practicing shooting with paint ammunition to see the hits and avoid treating it like a game, as well as tactical wound care to care for an injured colleague after neutralizing a suspect.
The trainers at the university are meticulous about handling and equipment to ensure it works in deployment. Correct foot position, for instance, is crucial when handling a machine pistol for accurate aiming. Securing the weapon is also necessary to prevent it from accidentally becoming unsecured during handling.
Physical fitness is another essential aspect of the training, as police officers must master their skills instinctively to recall them in chaotic, dynamic, and potentially life-threatening situations.
Experienced deployment officers from various units, including the Special Deployment Command (SEK), Mobile Deployment Command (MEK), Evidence Security and Arrest Units (BFE), and personal protection, teach at the university. They impart their expertise in coercive means and shooting training, defense and intervention training, tactical casualty care, first aid training, and integration training.
In addition to the physical aspects of the training, psychologists are involved in the Integration Training to help de-escalate heated situations. This holistic approach ensures that police cadets are prepared for the mental as well as the physical challenges they may face in the field.
Mutual honest feedback is indispensable for the trainers at the university. This feedback helps cadets identify areas for improvement and encourages them to push themselves to master their skills effectively.
Repetition is crucial for police cadets to master their skills. Repeated drills—both in dry fire and live fire—are conducted to reinforce accuracy and speed concurrently, capitalising on reinforcement learning principles. This approach ensures officers can deploy their skills without hesitation or degradation when under real-world deployment conditions.
Stress management is another critical component in deployment training. Officers are trained to maintain cognitive function and fine motor skills when facing intense situations. This often includes simulated high-pressure drills that expose trainees to stressors like time constraints, loud noises, and unpredictable scenarios to build resilience and control.
The overall training philosophy blends rigorous repetition and precision practice with stress inoculation techniques to equip officers for real deployments. If you need detailed or official information specific to the University of Police Baden-Württemberg, consulting their official training materials or contacting the institution directly would provide the precise methods they use.
Currently, around 1500 students are being prepared for police service on the campus of the University of Police Baden-Württemberg. Kai and Bernd Grünbaum, deployment trainers at the university, play significant roles in this process, teaching police cadets what to do in situations such as shaking after firing a shot or being out of breath after running up stairs.
Stick fighting is part of the defense and apprehension training for police cadets, providing them with essential hand-to-hand combat skills. Overall, the training at the University of Police Baden-Württemberg equips future police officers with the skills and mindset needed to perform effectively in the field.
Municipalities can look to the University of Police Baden-Württemberg's training approach as a model for education-and-self-development programs, as its comprehensive instruction includes learning about precision shooting, tactical wound care, de-escalation techniques, and stress management.
Police officers undergoing training at the University of Police Baden-Württemberg not only engage in learning physical skills but also attend sessions focused on education and self-development, such as understanding the importance of mental preparedness during high-pressure situations.
