Thames Valley Police are holding a family fun day and throwing open their doors to families to come along and find out more about policing.

This year's open day will be held on Saturday 9 August, between 10am and 4pm, in the grounds of Thames Valley Police Training Centre at Sulhamstead near Reading, which includes the Force museum.

The event is being held to help promote greater understanding of the work of the various departments and specialist roles that make up Thames Valley Police.

This year the family friendly open day will be better than ever, with a wider range of exhibits to see and activities to take part in, such as a display from the dog section and a chance to see the Force helicopter.

Families will have the opportunity to look round the museum, which is packed with exhibitions about the history of Thames Valley Police, as well as collections including items from the Great Train Robbery of 1963, uniforms, equipment, medals, photographs and scenes of crime evidence.

Officers from some of the Force's specialist departments will also be on hand to give the public a personal insight into their role and work, the majority of which the public might not be aware of because it goes on behind the scenes. Roads Policing officers will be in attendance as will members of the Specialist Search and Recovery team and the Firearms team. The Mounted Section is also taking part and will be bringing their horses to the event and the Counter Terrorism Wing (CTW) will be doing an explosive display!

As well as input from specialist departments, people will get the chance to see the Worlds Collide' film, produced with help from students at St Birinus School, Didcot, to let young people know about the dangers of replica firearms. The film will be followed by a talk from a firearms officer. Visitors will also get the chance to see Irish dancing, listen to a brass band, see classic police cars, and solve a murder mystery!

Museum curator Ken Wells, a retired police officer and scenes of crime officer, said: "Although the museum is quite small it has some really interesting exhibits and we are really keen to let more people know about it. Visits to the museum have increased since last year's open day and we have now added three new exhibitions and revamped the Great Train Robbery exhibition."

Chief Constable Sara Thornton, who will be opening the event, said: "We are always keen to build stronger links with our communities and this is an ideal for us to get to know Thames Valley residents. It is also a great opportunity for members of the public to meet some of our officers and find out a bit more about what we do."

Parking at the site is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Entrance costs £1 per adult, free for children. No animals are permitted on site. The event will be signposted, however, if using a sat nav, use postcode RG7 4DU.

More information about the event, including directions to the site, is available on the Thames Valley Police Museum

This is the third annual open day, and more than 2,000 people attended last year's event.