PICTURE GALLERY Exercise Titus is a real show-stopper

A SHOW like no other played out at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in what has been described as a ‘unique opportunity’ in emergency service collaboration.

The four-hour-long scenario on Sunday, 8th January, called Exercise Titus, was a live-play exercise to test the response of the emergency services to a firearms incident when an armed gang took control of a busy venue and take hostages.

The offenders were played by specialist police officers and the scenario immediately followed a fictitious robbery in town.

The offenders fled the scene but collided with another vehicle at the junction with Chapel Lane.

They then sought to hide in the RST where they took 30 ‘hostages’ and police negotiators were called in.

Negotiations largely centred around administering food and water.

Some of the ‘hostages’ - played by RSC staff and police cadets - were rescued from a balcony by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service using a hydraulic platform.

Catherine Mallyon, RSC executive director, said: “The large-scale training exercise was incredibly valuable, not only for the emergency services who took part, but also for our own teams."