Prince George RCMP Conduct Active Threat Training at Local High School
A significant police presence was seen at a Prince George, B.C., high school this week as RCMP officers carried out a realistic emergency response training exercise.
Dozens of uniformed and plainclothes officers gathered at Duchess Park Secondary School on Thursday, along with police cruisers and armoured vehicles. Actors were also involved in the exercise to recreate the conditions of an active threat emergency.
Training Designed to Create a Realistic Emergency Scenario
Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, media relations officer for Prince George RCMP, said using actors helps make the exercise more realistic and allows officers to experience some of the pressure they could face during an actual emergency.
Residents in the surrounding neighbourhood were advised that they could hear loud bangs, shouting and screaming during the exercise because the simulated incident was designed to be highly dynamic.
The high school provided an appropriate location for the training because students were away for the summer. Cooper said the large, empty building allowed police to conduct several different scenarios without disrupting normal school activities.
Exercise Not Prompted by Tumbler Ridge Shooting
Cooper clarified that the training was not organized in response to the February 2026 mass shooting at a school in Tumbler Ridge.
Instead, the exercise was part of ongoing RCMP training efforts, although she acknowledged that recent events in the region were likely on people’s minds.
Multiple RCMP Units Participate in Training
Prince George RCMP operations officer Insp. Chris Riddle said the exercise supported the work already being carried out by the local training unit.
Several specialized teams participated, including the North District Emergency Response Team, Crisis Negotiation Team and General Investigative Section, alongside patrol and general duty officers.
The training was intended to place officers in realistic, stressful situations where they would need to make rapid tactical decisions.
Focus on Finding and Stopping an Active Threat
According to Riddle, the scenarios focused on situations where a person is actively harming others.
The goal is to ensure officers can quickly identify the threat, respond appropriately and stop further harm to members of the public.
By recreating these circumstances in a controlled environment, officers can practise decision-making and tactical responses before potentially encountering similar situations in real life.
Actors Add Another Level of Realism
Cooper also shared her own previous experience participating as an actor in a live-action training exercise with the Abbotsford Police Department before becoming a police officer.
She described the experience from the victim’s perspective as chaotic and said it gave her greater appreciation for the situations police officers may face while responding to emergencies.
More Live-Action RCMP Training Could Be Held
Riddle said he hopes Prince George RCMP can organize additional live-action exercises in the future.
The objective is to provide officers with more comprehensive and regular training opportunities that strengthen their skills and preparedness. He added that previous exercises have been valuable and rewarding for participating RCMP members.
The active threat exercise at Duchess Park Secondary School gave Prince George RCMP officers an opportunity to practise responding to a high-pressure emergency in a realistic but controlled environment.
By involving specialized teams, patrol officers and actors, the training was designed to improve tactical decision-making and prepare officers to protect the public during real emergencies.
