UK’s Specialist Police Dive Teams Unite in Cardiff Bay as South Wales Police Hosts Regional Exercise
Cardiff Bay was the backdrop this September for a significant gathering of specialist police dive expertise, as South Wales Police hosted the regional dive event for police teams from forces right across the country.
Five forces – the Metropolitan Police, Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Northumbria, and Police Scotland – joined South Wales Police on the 9th September, with the Royal Navy also in attendance. The scale of the exercise reflected its ambition: to build genuine interoperability across the UK’s police dive, search and marine community, embedding shared best practice that extends beyond policing into every organisation operating in those environments.
The officers and personnel involved spend hours in demanding conditions, sharpening skills that may one day be called upon in the most critical of circumstances.
Throughout the exercise, RRT Cardiff volunteers were on hand, serving hot burger meals and drinks to those taking part – a meaningful way of giving back to a community of specialists who give so much in preparation as well as response.
"Dive teams carry out some of the most demanding and least visible work in policing. Training hours are long, conditions can be tough, and much of what they prepare for, the public never sees. Bringing together teams from right across the UK - alongside the Royal Navy - speaks to just how seriously this community takes its responsibility to be ready. Being there to offer a hot meal and a warm drink felt like a small but meaningful contribution. These are people who give a great deal, and it was a privilege to be alongside them."
Dwayne Marsh
RRT Cardiff Local Team Leader
The Rapid Relief Team is a global network of volunteers from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, dedicated to putting compassion into action through practical support to emergency services and communities across the UK. With over a decade of experience working alongside specialist teams – from major incident response to training exercises at every scale – RRT volunteers show up wherever they are needed, ensuring that those who serve others feel valued and supported.
