Interesting story … I’d like to the the paperwork for this one
whether you believe the police story (wrong stooge vehicle stopped) or the Sqns version (stopped the vehicles expecting a lift home) it is an innocent case of mistaken identity.
you could argue the car wouldnt not have been recognised as part of the exercise but how dark was it? would the “victims” car be looked like any other?
either way an over-reaction by both parties perhaps? the article doesnt indicate the victim was shouted instructions are or saw weapons to be fearful…just someone in the road with their hand up, doesnt appear to be threatening behaviour to me…particulalry if the accomplices were seen face down on the road side…
Quite aside from the fact that if you’re planning to stop a car on a public road then sorting out some sort of ID would be a good idea (just stick a cyalume on it? NB not red, as that would be illegal) there is something of a safety question here.
I’d say that motor vehicles and camouflaged cadets at night would be a bad mix, especially if it’s as loosely planned as this seems to be. A high vis or torch at the very least should have been involved!
A bit of a non-story for me.
Smacks a bit of paranoia mixed with media distortion on a slow news day. Clearly not enough rain in Croydon.
Good job the Driver didn’t encounter the ACF armed to the teeth eh? :woohoo:
It does highlight an important training point… the 4 accomplices camouflage and concealment was clearly inadequate. 
I liked the Telegraph’s particularly hysterical and inaccurate take on this…
The driver sounds like a bit of a wimp.
I like the bit that says [quote]A number of enquiries were carried out by (police) officers[/quote] Didn’t the Sqn think to tell the local coppers that they were doing an exercise beforehand? It doesn’t take long, just a phone call!
I would have thought a strong rebriefing will ensue! Wouldn’t like to be that OC!
[quote=“MattB” post=15709]Quite aside from the fact that if you’re planning to stop a car on a public road then sorting out some sort of ID would be a good idea (just stick a cyalume on it? NB not red, as that would be illegal) there is something of a safety question here.
I’d say that motor vehicles and camouflaged cadets at night would be a bad mix, especially if it’s as loosely planned as this seems to be. A high vis or torch at the very least should have been involved![/quote]
Yep, sounds like a recipe for disaster. DPM, on a road, at night, and presumably without close adult supervision.
There’s probably a good reason the military have training areas! 
Funnily enough I read this just after returning from a nightex myself.
Yes, the driver was a wimp.
No, the exercise shouldn’t have gone ahead planned like that. Training on private land/public road like that requires a Ground Risk Assessment which ought to have identified the road as a hazard to be avoided. And it requires an Activity Risk Assessment which should have identified the possibility that the wrong car would be stopped.
Retraining of officer in charge required…