Police in major incident exercise ahead of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games
Armed police and forensics staff swarmed around a stadium in a major incident exercise to prepare for this year’s Commonwealth Games.
Partner emergency services also took part at Edgbaston Cricket Stadium, the latest in a series of exercises being carried out in preparation for the 2022 Games in Birmingham.
Police say exercises like this are held regularly and do not relate to any specific threat to either the West Midlands or the Commonwealth Games.
Assistant Chief Constable Matt Ward said: “We regularly hold exercises like this to test how we deal with major incidents.
"The Games is the biggest event this region has ever hosted and will be a fantastic experience for both visitors and residents, this type of exercise is all part of our planning for such a large scale event.
"There is no specific threat to either the West Midlands or the Commonwealth Games.
"However, the national [terrorism] threat level is currently at ‘severe’, which means that an attack is highly likely, and it remains important that we work together with partners to test our emergency responses to a major incident.
"The exercise provided invaluable training and experience for everyone involved and will help us to deliver a safe and secure Commonwealth Games this summer.
"It also demonstrated the strong working relationships which already exist between West Midlands Police, the Commonwealth Games organisers and our partners.
"Thank you to everyone who was involved, and to local residents in Edgbaston for being so understanding around the increase in activity on the day."
