Specialist Operations

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The Directorate specialist operations ( SO , Eng. Special Tasks) is part of the Metropolitan Police Service in London. At its peak, the directorate had twenty specialist groups that were created for special tasks. The specialist groups were created in 1986 as part of the restructuring of the Metropolitan Police under Kenneth Newman . Many of these specialist groups already existed at the time, most of them from the C department. The SO is led by an Assistant Commissioner of Special Operations (ACSO). Until 2011, Cressida Dick , who is now the Met director, headed this directorate.

structure

The Specialist Operations consists of three commands, some of which are further subdivided.

Protection Command

The Protection Command consists of three specialist groups

  • Specialist Protection (SO1): Guarding at-risk members of the government and other vulnerable persons and guests of the government.
  • Royalty Protection (SO14): Guarding vulnerable members of the royal family.
  • Diplomatic Protection Group (SO6): Guarding foreign missions and accommodations of foreign government guests

Counter Terrorism Command

The Counter Terrorism Command (Anti-Terror-Kommando, SO15, emerged from the Anti-Terrorist Branch and the Special Branch ) serves to combat terrorist activities. It is not only responsible for London but the entire UK. In addition to police investigations, intelligence activities such as covert information gathering and evaluation are carried out.

Protective Security Command

The Protective Security Command (SO2) consists of the Palace of Westminster Division (SO17) and the Aviation Security Operational Command Unit (SO18). The command is also responsible for the fight against terrorism in London. He is also responsible for the administration of Specialist Operations.

SO17 is responsible for security in the Palace of Westminster and the associated administration buildings. The SO 17 officers are unarmed. Should armed support be necessary, the Diplomatic Protection Group is called in. Traditionally, no one in the House of Commons is allowed to carry a weapon except the Serjeant-at-Arms.

SO18 covers Heathrow and London City airports . The other airports in London are outside the Metropolitan Police district. The Sussex, Essex and Bedfordshire Police respectively are responsible for Gatwick , Stansted and Luton airports . The group consists of about 400 police officers. Most of them are armed.

In Heathrow, the Civil Aviation Authority was initially responsible for police tasks until 1965. The tasks were then taken over by the British Airports Authority Constabulary. This was transferred to the Metropolitan Police on November 1, 1974.

Former structure

Due to many changes in the organizational structure, there are only a few of the former special operations groups. In the list below, the groups that still exist are marked in bold.

  • SO1 - Specialist Protection (merged with SO14, forms the Protection Command)
  • SO2 - Crime Support Branch / Department Support Group
  • SO3 - Scenes of Crime Branch / Directorate of Forensic Services (now part of the Specialist Crime Directorate as SCD4 Forensic Services)
  • SO4 - National Identification Service
  • SO5 - Miscellaneous Force Indexes / Child Protection (now SCD5 Child Abuse Investigation Team)
  • SO6 - Fraud Squad (now SCD6 Economic and Specialist Crime)
  • SO7 - Serious and Organized Crime (now SCD 7 Serious and Organized Crime Group)
  • SO8 - Forensic Science Laboratory
  • SO9 - Flying Squad (now SCD7 under the same name and with the same tasks).
  • SO10 - Crime Operations Group (now SCD10 Covert Policing )
  • SO11 - Criminal Intelligence Branch (now: Public Order Operational Command Unit, Central Operations CO11)
  • SO12 - Special Branch (merged with SO13, forms the Counter Terrorism Command)
  • SO13 - Anti-Terrorism Branch (merged with SO12)
  • SO14 - Royalty Protection Branch (merged with SO1)
  • SO15 - Counter Terrorism Command
  • SO16 - Diplomatic Protection Group (part of the Protection Command).
  • SO17 - Police National Computer Bureau (now Police Information Technology Organization)
  • SO18 - Aviation Security / Airport Policing (now Aviation Security Operational Command Unit CO18)
  • SO19 - Force Firearms Unit (now Specialist Firearms Command CO19)
  • SO20 - Forensic Medical Examiners Branch

See also

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