3 (RAuxAF) Police
Station name: RAF Henlow
Station address: Henlow, Bedfordshire
SG16 6DN
Roles:
Squadron contact: Corporal Faye Stinton, 01462 851515 (ext 7419) (Mon–Fri 08.30–17.00)
Mission: To provide appropriately trained RAF Police personnel of all ranks, in sufficient numbers and at the required time, to support No 3 (Tactical) Police Wing Headquarters and No 1 (Tactical) Police Squadron.
More about this squadron
3 (RAuxAF) Police Squadron is the expeditionary arm of the RAF Police. We were formed to boost the RAF Police’s capacity to provide military policing in more than one operational theatre at the same time. Our trained Reservists are primarily used to support No 1 (Tactical) Police Squadron, with whom they are also deployed on operations. We have 52 Police Reservists, of whom a large proportion are ex-RAF Police, ex-Royal Military Police or civilian police officers. However, current or previous military or civilian police experience is not a prerequisite for joining the squadron.
The RAF Police training consists of a 15-month ‘battlefield policeman’ course and is focused on developing the skills needed to support our regular RAF counterparts on operations. In continuation training, Reservists will, for example, do live firing on a range, simulate police scenarios and take part in military skills competitions. Training takes place during the second weekend of each month.
Roles and specialist skills
In the RAF Police, your duties will include protecting personnel and vital operational equipment from enemy, criminal, terrorist and other threats. You will carry out armed patrols and react to a wide range of policing incidents, where you will be expected to use your own initiative to resolve stressful situations.
You may also have the opportunity to:
- undertake air transport security duties (searching passenger and cargo, guarding aircraft and cargoes and assessing the security of airfields);
- be involved in the policing of supply routes;
- be a member of a police search team; and
- be used in a non-combatant evacuation operation or reconnaissance task.
Recent deployments
Most recently, our Reservists have been deployed to different locations in Afghanistan, including Kandahar Airfield (to provide force protection and air transport security duties), Camp Bastion (for policing and security duties) and Forward Operating Base Price (for Afghan National Police mentoring duties).
In the past, our Reservists have also been deployed to Iraq and the Balkans for air transport duties.
