First Assistance and Protection Training Course for Police First Responders held in Malaysia

The first OPCW Assistance and Protection Training Course for Police First Responders was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 28 September to 2 October 2015.

The main objective of the course was to provide basic knowledge on protection, detection and decontamination equipment to police first responders who might be involved in emergency response involving chemical weapons and/or toxic industrial chemicals.

Twenty-five experts from 15 States Parties* participated in the training. Protection Network member Mr. Armando Alcaraz was invited as an instructor to deliver a Table Top Exercise focussed on sampling procedures and chain of custody issues.

This training was organised in cooperation with the Malaysian National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC), the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia (BOMBA) and the Royal Malaysian Police.  In addition to funding from the APB regular budget, voluntary contributions from the governments of New Zealand and Greece were also employed.

The first, theoretical part of the training was focused on exchange of information and sharing of experience among participants. Royal Malaysian Police, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, and Greece presented their emergency response procedures, equipment they use, training plans.

The practical part was held on Tuesday and Wednesday at the training facility of Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department. Participants were provided with extensive information and hands-on training regarding protection against chemicals, detection and decontamination equipment.

* Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Greece, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Morocco, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and Qatar