Specialist Training for Armed Police OfficersDelivered by the IPA-Defensive Tactics Group (IPA) in collaboration with Explosive Defensive Tactics Systems (ESDS).
Note: This intensive long-weekend course begins on the final day of the Police Street Survival Course (PSS). While it can be taken as a stand-alone programme, PSS delegates have the option to extend their training seamlessly into this course—maximising value and saving time.
Course Overview
This course is designed for officers who may be required to use their firearm in a high-stress, threat-to-life scenario. You don’t need to be a specialist, but you must be authorised to carry a firearm.
This is not a range safety course. It is about survival when the situation is at its most dangerous.
Why This Training Matters
On the range, you’ve been trained to shoot accurately and proficiently using the principles of marksmanship. The target turns, you fire, you pass your qualification, and you’re cleared to carry your firearm on duty.
But the street is different.
Carefully aimed shots and traditional sight alignment have their place. But when someone is actively trying to kill you at short range, it becomes a matter of “the quick and the dead.”
Imagine, you on duty when you are surprised and attacked with a knife or firearm. You draw your pistol as fast as you can, moving instinctively to escape the kill zone. You run for cover, you try to aim, but you can’t focus, your sights blur under stress. You try to move and shoot, but it’s difficult to coordinate with both hands on the pistol. This is the hardest day of your life—and your range training hasn’t prepared you for it.
This is where our course begins.
Course Content
- The evidence that instinctive shooting works
- Combat stress and the human body – how stress impacts vision, movement, and decision-making
- One-handed shooting techniques – firing fast and accurately without relying on sights
- Shooting on the move – engaging threats while creating distance, seeking cover, or closing down an assailant
- Tactical application of instinctive shooting – integrating survival skills into operational practice
- Reactional shooting under ambush – responding to sudden attacks with firearms or edged weapons
- Tactical scenarios – immersive, high-pressure exercises replicating real-world threats
Key Outcomes
By the end of this course, officers will:
- Understand how instinctive shooting complements existing firearms training
- Build confidence in their ability to react effectively under extreme stress
- Develop practical survival skills for dynamic, unpredictable encounters
- Leave better prepared to protect yourself, your colleagues, and the public
Training Tools
We use high-quality Umarex Glock weapon systems, comparable to Simunition platforms. These allow officers to:
- Train instinctive shooting methods without the expense or restrictions of live-fire ranges
- Engage in realistic, force-on-force scenarios
- Maximise safety while maintaining operational realism
This is not about competition shooting. It’s about survival when milli-seconds count.
To register for this event please click on the link below
Register