More than 100 public safety and law enforcement professionals from around the world will gather in the lower mainland this week for the third annual police judo conference. Police judo, an emerging trend in public safety, teaches police officers hands-on techniques to safely gain physical control during violent situations.
The conference is being hosted by the Vancouver Police Department from April 30 to May 3 at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby.
“We are proud to be hosting this conference and look forward to sharing ideas and techniques with experts from around the world,” says Superintendent Martin Bruce, Support Services, VPD. “The VPD has been a leader in North America in police judo for many years now.”
In 2017, the VPD became one of the first police agencies in Canada to adopt police judo as mandatory training for new recruits. All VPD pre-recruits are required to complete 40 hours of intensive judo training with the VPD through the Force Options Training Unit prior to entering the police academy training at the Justice Institute of B.C.
“Our specialized Force Options Training Unit has really pushed the development and adoption of this innovative technique to help police officers enhance their physical control skills,” adds Superintendent Bruce. “Police officers rarely use physical force, but when they have to, judo helps to ensure the safety of the officer and the suspect.”
The conference will be attended by use-of-force experts, judo instructors and police trainers from all over the world, including the United States, Switzerland and England. A former French National Judo Team member, Hiroshi Katanishi, and a former world judo champion, Jane Bridge from England, will be in attendance.
