Brief history of Specialist Group International (SGI)

Specialist Group International (SGI) was formed in 1995 by the Chief Executive Peter Faulding, who is widely regarded as one of the world's leading confined space rescue and forensic search specialists. 

Peter Faulding's background started at the age of five exploring the world of the disused firestone mines under Merstham in Surrey with his late father John who spent his life exploring the subterranean world of the hearthstone mines which date back to the late 11th century. Peter spent every Sunday and Wednesday night down the mines digging through rock falls with his father John and a small group of mine enthusiasts. The mines are carefully preserved to this day by volunteers from the Wealden Cave & Mine Society.

With his vast experience in confined space tunnelling, Peter was asked to train the UK fire service's United Kingdom Search & Rescue Teams (UKSART) in confined space and collapsed structure rescue. Training was carried out at Fort Widley in Hampshire and some teams came to the Merstham mines for further training. Peter also trained the London Fire Brigade's FRU crews in collapsed structure rescue at the brigades Southwark training school in the early 90's.

Peter trained the London Air Ambulance teams based at the Royal London Hospital to work in confined spaces and under collapsed structures. In Dr Heather Clark's book, 'Medic One on Scene', Dr Heather Clark describes the training they received on page 139. "Before I flew as a solo doctor, I had a lot more training to do, and some of it was with a man affectionately known as the Human Mole. Peter Faulding can crawl through anything, anywhere, anytime, and he taught us how to get to someone who was stuck somewhere seemingly inaccessible: in a mineshaft, a sewer of just a broken down basement."

Peter not only trained the London HEMS team but was on call with HEMS and was called to numerous incidents that HEMS attended. In 1995, Peter saved the life of a young woman armed with a knife who scaled a 50 metre construction crane in Kingston and was threatening to commit suicide. In very strong winds, Peter scaled the crane and conducted a solo rescue. On another occasion Peter was called out to a construction site at London's Heathrow airport to use his specialist skills to assist in the rescue of a truck driver whose truck fell into a 30 metre access shaft trapping the driver. Working through the night with other members of the emergency services, the injured driver was rescued with severe injuries.

Media

Peter Faulding's work has been the focus of media interest from the early 90's including being featured on ITV's 'How Do They Do That' where HEMS doctors were being trained by Peter. The program was presented by Eamonn Holmes and Jenny Hull. There have been many articles published including the Sunday Express magazine in 1995. Peter was also a guest on 'What's My Line, in 1994 with Roy Hudd and June Whitfield. 

In 1995 Peter played the part of a rescuer in the drama series 'Call Red' episode five 'Life Extinct' based on the London HEMS team. He was also the technical adviser for the underground and rescue scenes. 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1658322/

On the 19th August 2015 the Daily Mirror published a story about Peter's career see link below.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/m16-spy-found-holdall-mystery-6275576

Protestor Management

Specialist Group International have carried out all the major protestor removal operations 1995 to the the current day with a 100% safety record.  Peter Faulding is the UK's leading authority on protestor removal and management and is the person major infrastructure projects take advise from.  The SGI team ensure that safe operations are carried out without injury to any person involved. Peter is the key adviser to many government departments on the subject and sat on the Home Office working group "Policing of environmental protest"  Peter has also advised the Dutch, German and Swedish police who have faced similar problems. Specialist Group International are the only recognised specialist team in the UK with twenty years of experience a vast range of specialist equipment.  

Please see links below.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/live-updates-bailiffs-evict-stapleton-allotment/story-26159725-detail/story.html

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/pictures-metrobus-tree-protesters-evicted/story-26177579-detail/story.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ex-sas-take-on-eco-warriors-1182063.html

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Swampy

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/gallery/nostalgia/17429/Newbury-bypass-protests-in-1996.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dmm5f/p03dq856

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dmm5f/p03dq82s

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Eco-tunnellers+were+inches+from+death,+say+police%3B+'I+felt+at+that...-a060527671

Forensic Search & Police work

In 1999 Peter went to the USA to research the use of Side Scan Sonar and remotely operated vehicles (ROV's) for searching large areas of deep water and ground penetrating radar for searching for buried human remains. With substantial investment and with three years of intense trials Peter Faulding was the first to use side scan sonar in the UK for underwater forensic search. Peter was used extensively by the then National Crime and Operations Faculty advisers at the Bramshill Police College for missing person and "No Body murder cases"

Peter and his team have been called in to some of the most high profile murder and missing person cases by police investigation teams. Peter's investigative mind along with his search skills has managed to locate human remains, firearms and other evidence in the remotest of places. Peter has been highly commended for his work and is a registered expert with the police Specialist Operations Centre.

In June 2007 Peter Faulding was called in by Lothian & Borders police (Operation Anagram) to plan and conduct a full geophysical and forensic search of serial killer Peter Tobin's former home in Bathgate ,Scotland. The search was intended to search for the remains of Vicky Hamilton who disappeared in 1991. The search lasted over a week with no stone left unturned by Lothian & Borders Police, Peter Faulding and the SGI team.

Whilst carrying out a detailed search of the loft two members of the SGI team found a dagger concealed in the rafters. After forensic examination it was found to contain the DNA of Vicky Hamilton, this was the final piece of the jigsaw that the police needed to link Peter Tobin to the murders of Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol who both went missing in 1991. Tobin was given life for their murders.

Peter presents extensively on "No Body Murder" cases. He has instructed the police and the military at the National Search Centre in the UK. Peter was invited to Washington DC by the United States Secret Service where he presented to their teams, whilst in the United States Peter also presented to the Military and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at their training school in Quantico, Virginia.

Using his confined space skills Peter has carried out considerable case work and research on a range of suffocation cases, body's in barrels and Sudden Infant Death syndrome (Cot death) and has been an expert witness at Coroners Courts.

In 2012 Peter Faulding hit the world's media and was brought in by the Metropolitan Police Serious Crime Directorate to help investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of MI6 Officer Gareth Williams who was found dead locked in a north face holdall in the bath of his London apartment. 

Peter carried out a range of experiments, he proved that it would have been impossible for Gareth Williams to lock himself in the bag without leaving a trace of DNA, fingerprints, footprints or handprints on the bath, bag, zip or padlock. Peter also showed that it would be possible for one person to place a non-rigor mortis body into a bag and carry it to the bathroom unaided.

Peter also carried out a range of suffocation and oxygen depletion tests, using a range of monitoring equipment he established that Gareth would have suffocated in under 30 minutes if he was placed in the bag alive. Peter new that this was unlikely as Gareth was found in a peaceful position and there were no signs of a struggle.

Peter Faulding told Westminster Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox that he believed Gareth Williams was dead before he was put in the bag. He told the coroner the shower screen was closed, the bathroom door was closed to mask the smell of decomposition. The lights were turned off and the heating was turned up full in August, this was done to speed up decomposition and the bag was placed in the bath to allow decompostion fluids to run down the plug hole. 

Dr Wilcox listened to Peter Faulding's key evidence. Dr Wilcox told the court  " I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Gareth was killed unlawfully."

Underwater Search

In 2001 Peter Faulding formed the SGI underwater search team which became the only team approved for police diving operations in the UK, the team has carried out many successful operations for evidence and body recovery operations.

Specialist Rescue

Part of the SGI team currently provides a specialist rescue capability to Surrey Fire & Rescue Service 24/7 to provide rescue from height, swift water, confined space and underwater search and recovery. During the 2013/14 floods the teams worked around the clock with the other emergency services to assist the public.

https://news.surreycc.gov.uk/2012/10/22/world-renowned-rescue-firm-set-to-work-with-firefighters-in-uk-first-deal/

The SGI team continues to grow providing a complete solution in a very specialist field, delivering a professional service by a very proud, highly motivated, dedicated and disciplined team of ex-military and police personnel with a vast range of experience and specialist equipment. Peter Faulding served six years with the 10th battalion The Parachute Regiment.  He is a qualified commercial diver, helicopter pilot and also holds a United States FAA pilots license for a Cirrus perspective advanced fixed wing aircraft.