Polish bootcamp trains contractors for mission impossible

Five men, armed to the teeth, have just stormed a home and it did not go well, not well at all. "You killed a kid!" screamed the instructor.
A glance at the bullet marks on the child-sized mannequin leaves no doubt -- the drill must be repeated.
The men are training at Poland's private European Security Academy (ESA), in the western countryside, which prepares security and military contractors from around the globe for missions in danger zones.
Spread across 100 hectares (250 acres) near the village of Wlosciejewki, the centre is surrounded by fields, woods, lakes and is considered a top-flight choice for future VIP bodyguards, maritime security officers and private military contractors.

"We search out the whole world for the most realistic places to train," said Criss Watts, an instructor from the London-based specialist security company Up Close and Personal (UCP).
"And this is certainly the best place that we consider for our training in the world," he told AFP.

One thing that sets this program apart -- the trainees use real weapons and FX marking cartridges, simulated ammunition that won't kill but feels like the real thing when the trainee fires.
Members of the commando that stormed the dwelling are all working as UCP security operatives. They include a Briton, a Colombian, an Italian and a Spaniard.

They spent the morning in the Academy's combat village, a full-scale replica of a central section of the Somali capital Mogadishu -- complete with a hotel, coffee shop, bus stop, market and houses painted blue and pink and inscribed with Arabic.
The spring sunshine and windswept sand add a touch of realism to the violent scenarios being acted out.
"In the UK, it's very difficult to train to this standard. In fact, impossible. Can't use pistols for training. You can use weapons on a range but you can't use them for training," said Watts, who spent three decades working in high-risk protection.

"In this centre you can use 762, 9mm, 556, M4, AK47, Glock -- all assortment of pistols and variants," the 49-year-old added, describing a range of guns.
He said UCP's clients pay for them to train at the Academy. "They want to make sure they stay alive. And we want to make sure these guys come back as well, uninjured."
"Anything can happen. ISIS could be on the hill."
Another group trains at a large firing range that includes a 350-metre (380-yard) shooting distance, an area where the men can fire in three directions and a tactical lane allowing them to shoot from moving vehicles.