Enter the water cannon: Two years on from the riots that scarred Britain, hundreds of police are training at a secret base with a fearsome new deterrent

• London Met police are being trained to use brand new water cannon
• Weapon brought in for officers to prepare for G8 meeting this summer
• Up to 4,000 officers are being trained ahead of Northern Ireland gathering 

These are the first pictures of water cannon ready for use on the streets of Britain this summer.

The German-made weapon is at an Army base in Hampshire where, shielded from public view by several vast warehouses, police officers are being trained in its use.

Dozens of Met officers have been travelling to Longmoor base, near Petersfield, every day over the past fortnight.

Resistance: Police train with water cannon at Longmoor Army camp near Petersfield in Hampshire

 

Onlookers said policemen in riot helmets banged batons on plastic shields during gruelling drills.

Meanwhile colleagues played the role of a mob of rioters who were drenched with cold water fired out in short bursts.

The cannon, a custom-built Ziegler Wasserwerfer 9000, was quietly brought in from Northern Ireland ahead of the G8 talks next month.

Up to 4,000 officers are being trained to use water cannon, ostensibly so they can work alongside colleagues across the Irish Sea at the talks at the Lough Erne resort at Enniskillen.

 
However, with police and officials close to reaching a deal about the purchase of three cannon for the mainland, the officers’ skills will be invaluable beyond G8.

Duck and cover: Met police officers have been traveling to the training facility for the past two weeks to learn how to use the new water cannon

 

Practice makes perfect: The picture shows a group of Met police during the training drill which saw officers banging batons on plastic shields

Fighting fit: Officers also played the role of the angry mob and had to withstand regular soakings as their colleagues practiced using the water cannon on human targets

 

The Home Office has signalled it approves of introducing water cannon ‘in principle’, but staff want more details about how exactly they will be used.

Critics believe the machines are a step too far. Some police chiefs say they are unsuitable and human rights lawyers fear they symbolise a creep towards more militant policing.

Calls for water cannon climaxed after the riots of the summer of 2011, which began in London and laid waste to parts of several cities. In the aftermath, Prime Minister David Cameron said ‘nothing is off the table’ to keep order in the streets.

In a report, a senior Met officer concluded ‘water cannon would be valuable in a few rare situations’.

A fleet of six water cannon was used against stone-throwing mobs during the Ulster Troubles and in the marching season, and the machines are in use on a large scale in Germany, Northern Ireland, Belgium and other parts of Europe.

Double jet: The custom-built Ziegler Wasserwerfer 9000 is going to be available in case of riots at this summer’s G8 meeting in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland

 

Riot: Flashback to the 2011 troubles in London’s Hackney during the riots

 

There have been reports of them causing serious injuries, including broken bones and a ruptured spleen.
A protester was blinded in Stuttgart three years ago when he was hit full in the face by a blast of water.
The Metropolitan Police, senior Whitehall officials and the Association of Chief Police Officers all played down the prospect of introducing water cannon to British streets.

It is understood the Met wants control of two of the vehicles. Jenny Jones, a Green politician who scrutinises the Met, said the decision was being made ‘without any proper scrutiny’.

The Met said talks with the Home Office were ongoing.

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