Two police forces want to use the site at Dagenham Dock to train their officers, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter
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A police firearms training facility could soon be built in Dagenham
The training site is proposed to be built on land at Dagenham Dock previously earmarked to support the move of Billingsgate and Smithfield markets.
Plans submitted to Barking and Dagenham Council say the facility would be used by both City of London Police and Essex Police.
They say it will “enable training of the highest calibre to the firearms team to ensure that this region is served by an appropriately trained and skilled force”.
The site, at 64 Hindmans Way in Dagenham, is owned by the City of London Corporation, which manages both Billingsgate fish and Smithfield meat markets.
The City had previously planned to move both markets to Dagenham Dock, but this plan was ditched in November 2024.
Instead, they will move to Albert Island, in the Royal Docks, Newham, in a move announced earlier this year.
Hindmans Way would not have hosted the markets themselves, but would have been used to “support” the move, according to previous reports.
Plans say Hindmans Way site will now house “a bespoke training facility to provide the highest level of teaching and training for City of London Police and Essex Police”.
A design and access statement submitted as part of the planning statement say it will include “external tactical training areas”.
It says: “These areas allow officers to train for numerous scenarios including vehicle stops, rope access training, method of entry, and ‘none’ live fire firearms training.”
The statement says there will also be a “skills house” – a mock home – “kept to domestic proportions to give officers realistic training conditions”, while 3D designs also indicate it will include a mock London street with a bus stop and double decker bus.
The statement adds: “The external training road network uses standard road widths so training exercises can be carried out in lifelike scenarios.”
The statement says the training yard will be “separated from the car park to ensure officer and visitor safety”.
It adds that a “two-metre high instant hedge” will “mask the external training area from the adjacent street”.
The planning application was submitted to the council on Friday, 22nd May. It can be viewed and commented on at the council’s planning website using reference number 26/00665/FULL.
