SBA, police negotiators joint training

Negotiators from the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) police and the Cyprus police underwent refresher training alongside the Cyprus police,s emergency response unit (MMAD), the British Bases said on Tuesday.

This annual week-long training, led by the Cyprus police, was followed by a large-scale exercise held at the MMAD premises, marking the fifth consecutive year of involvement by the SBA Police.

Chief Constable of SBA Police Chris Eyre underlined the importance of their participation in keeping their training current and enhancing the working relationship between the two forces.

“Our joint training helps us strengthen our collaboration and capabilities in this area,” he said.

Following the exercise, Chief Inspector Maria Atalioti, who led the negotiator’s team, echoed Eyre’s statements.

“For the last five years, we have established very close cooperation with the Cyprus police negotiators’ team, and this is a great example of our excellent partnership, as it enhances our capabilities in the hostage negotiation field, making Cyprus safer for all our communities and visitors.”

The Bases police currently has a team of four qualified hostage negotiators trained in the UK, while the Cyprus police have a team of 37 negotiators that was established about 13 years ago.