Special Escort Group (Metropolitan Police)

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The Special Escort Group (SEG) is a unit of the London Metropolitan Police Service. Part of the Royalty Protection Department, it provides armed motorcycle escorts for members of the British Royal family, protected members of the government, visiting Royals, heads of state and other visiting dignitaries. It also provides armed car escorts for valuable, hazardous and protected loads and high risk prisoners. This elite unit of the Metropolitan Police consists of officers with a huge range of skills and operational experience from various policing backgrounds. The motorcyclists guide the easy rider, the motorcyclist positioned at the head of the escort by advising him of the safest path through the traffic they are controlling. SEG officers on BMW motorcycles (solos), use whistles in preference to the sirens on their motorcycles. This reduces the level of noise that precedes an escort and reduces the environmental impact on the escorted person and general public. Officers from The Special Escort Group are among the few police motorcyclists within the UK that carry firearms openly whilst riding, all SEG officers are Class 1 Advanced Drivers, Class 1 Advanced Motorcyclists and are fully trained in anti-hijack driving and firearms tactics. The SEG uses a wide range of other vehicles aside from motorcycles including Range Rovers, BMW 5 Series' and Mercedes', both marked and unmarked. The pistols they carry are Glock 17s in Safariland holsters. [1]