Specialist Firearms Command

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CO19

Metropolitan Police Service CO19
Active 1966–Present
Country Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Central Operations
Type Central Operations
Role Domestic Counter-Terrorism and Law Enforcement
Nickname SO19, Blue Berets, CO19
Commanders
Current
commander		 Chief Superintendent Bill Tillbrook

The Specialist Firearms Command (CO19), better known by its former Specialist Operations designation SO19, is the name given to the department of London's Metropolitan Police Service that provides firearms-related support to the rest of the service. CO19's work allows the vast majority of policing activities throughout London to be conducted in the traditional manner by unarmed officers. It could be considered London's equivalent to the SWAT units in the United States. CO19 are sometimes called the "Blue Berets", since they used to wear them, although now they are more likely to wear PASGT helmets or baseball caps. The blue beret is still worn during ceremonial occasions.

Contents

[edit] History

The Firearms Wing was established in December 1966 as part of the Civil Defence and Communications Branch (D6) following the murder of three officers[1] in the Massacre of Braybrook Street. In response to this vicious attack, the Commissioner issued a Police Order asking for applications from Police Officers from within the organisation who had had previous experience handling firearms and were interested in becoming dedicated firearms instructors. Ten officers attended a course at Small Arms Wing of the School of Infantry, Hythe, in January 1967. Having completed their training, they returned to the MPS to train Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs) throughout the organisation. D6 became D11 later that year.

The D11 teams, known as Level 1 Officers, were made up of instructors, and would normally only be operationally deployed at well-established sieges in the capital where their firearms experience would aid to the swift resolution of the incident. Officers qualified using a Browning .22 'High Standard' self-loading pistol or a Webley & Scott .22 revolver. Some Level 1 officers were also trained for using Enfield Enforcer 7.62 rifles for counter-sniper roles. The branch gradually grew in size throughout the 1970s as more qualified firearms instructors were recruited to keep up with the increase in demand for firearms training.

In the early 1980s, such was the demand for operational firearms support from the department, officers were recruited to fulfil a non-instructional role. These Level 2 Officers, as they were known, were deployed to pre-planned and response operations that did not involved hostages or suspects with exceptional fire power - these were attended by the Level 1 Officers. D11 was renamed PT17 (the "PT" standing for "Personnel and Training") in 1987. PT17 Officers at this time were issued with Browning 9mm Self-Loading Pistols or Smith & Wesson Model 28 revolvers. Officers were also trained to use the Heckler & Koch .223 (HK93) rifles.

In another response to the operational demands placed on it, the department underwent a drastic restructuring in 1991. Level 1 and 2 officers merged together to form Specialist Firearms Operations, or SFO, Teams. The SFOs would continue to deploy to pre-planned firearms operations, kidnaps and sieges, a role they still fulfil to this day. At the same time, the branch created the role of the Armed Response Vehicle officers to meet the then increase in gun-enabled crime in 1991[2]. Using high performance marked response vehicles, ARV officers were to provide a rapid respond to spontaneous firearms incidents, such as armed robberies, around the clock.

These changes occurred at the same time that the branch, for the first time, came under the control of Operations, and given the more familiar name of SO19, the "SO" standing for Specialist Operations. The ARV officers were issued with the Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver with some officers also being trained to use the Heckler & Koch MP5 sub-machine gun. Following another periodic reorganisation of the organisation in 2005, SO19 became CO19 as it moved into the Central Operations directorate of the MPS. At the same time the department was renamed from the Force Firearms Unit to the Specialist Firearms Command.

Whilst the core function of the branch remains unchanged since its creation - to provide firearms training and firearms support, the role of the branch is ever changing to meet the demands placed on it. The branch today fulfils very different roles to those which its original members would have envisaged 30 years ago.

[edit] Current role

[edit] Training

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As of July 2007, the department maintains its training role and is still responsible for training the Met's 2,594 AFOs. These include officers from SO14 (Royalty Protection), SO15 (Counter Terrorism Command, formerly Special Branch and Anti-Terrorist Branch),SO16 (Diplomatic Protection Group), CO18 (Airports; policing London Heathrow Airport and London City Airport), SCD7(5) (Flying Squad), SCD11 (Surveillance), and the Belmarsh High Security Court Team, as well as the officer from CO19 itself. Some Territorial Support Group (TSG) officers are also trained AFOs although it should be noted that TSG is a Public Order unit and are very rarely armed.

Based at the purpose-built Metropolitan Police Specialist Training Centre (MPSTC), CO19 provides initial and continuation training for all firearms officers within the MPS. There are roughly 24 different courses that are provided by CO19 Instructors. These are bespoke in nature, based on the National Firearms Training Curriculum, to cover the variety of roles covered by AFOs in the MPS. The courses ranges from Firepower Demonstrations (to highlight the dangers of firearms to new MPS Recruits) and Initial Firearms Courses, to Firearms Incident Commander training and National Firearms Instructor courses. There were 683 courses run at MPSTC in the 2006-07 financial year.

[edit] Operational Firearms Support

[edit] ARV

Officers of CO19 in an Armed Response Vehicle (ARV)
Officers of CO19 in an Armed Response Vehicle (ARV)

Introduced to the branch in 1991, the role of the ARVs is to respond to calls for armed support at spontaneous firearms incidents, such as armed robberies, day or night. They are the first armed officers to arrive on the scene and trained to stabilise and control armed incidents that occur anywhere in London. ARV officers are also trained to stop and search suspects, their vehicles and to search premises for armed suspects.

Each Armed Response Vehicle is crewed by three uniformed officers, each fulfilling a specific function whilst responding to calls. The driver is responsible for getting the crew to the scene in the fastest, safest way possible, having regard for the public presence on the roads. The 'operator' is responsible for the many in-car communications systems. They are also responsible for ascertaining the most accurate information about the call the crew is responding to. The 'observer' is responsible for assisting the driver in providing a suitable route to the scene, utilising the in-car navigation systems and the trusty London A-Z. The majority of the ARV fleet is comprised of heavily modified BMW 5 Series saloons. These modifications are designed to meet the heavy 24/7 usage of the vehicles as well as to meet the operational needs of the department.

The ARV officers are all issued with the Glock 17 9mm self-loading pistol and X26 Taser which they carry at all times on duty along with standard issue personal protective equipment such as ASP baton, Hiatt cuffs and CS spray. They also have access to the Heckler and Koch MP5 9mm Carbine and L104A1 Baton gun. All ARV officers are trained to administer Ballistic First Aid and are Emergency Life Saver trained. In many instances, ARV crews can arrive at the scene of shooting before paramedics or ambulances, and are frequently required to provide life saving techniques on shooting victims.

The workload of the ARVs has increased dramatically since their inception. In their first year, they were actively deployed on 132 occasions. In 2006, they deployed 2,232 times in response to 11,725 calls to spontaneous firearms incidents. The average response time of an ARV anywhere in London is just 4 minutes. ARVs can be easily spotted as distinct from standard polce vehicles by the fluorescent yellow circles located on the vehicle's windows.

[edit] TST

The Tactical Support Teams (TSTs) were introduced to CO19 in 2004 and provide covert and overt proactive support to other specialist units (such as the Flying Squad or the Specialist Crime Directorate) and to Borough Operations. Most of their work is on authorised pre-planned operations and much of it involves supporting surveillance as well as arrest and search operations. The TST role was introduced to help meet the increased demands being placed on the unit and to sit directly in-between the ARV and SFO roles. In the 2006/07 financial year, the TST teams undertook over 280 deployments.

[edit] SFO

The CO19 Specialist Firearms Officers are highly multi-skilled officers capable of delivering all elements of firearms policing, including rapid intervention and hostage rescue. All of the SFO officers have served on the ARV Reliefs prior to applying to become an SFO officer. The 65 days of intensive initial training includes advanced weapons handling training on a wider range of weaponry, including the Heckler & Koch G36 and G3 rifles, abseiling techniques, maritime operations training, dynamic entry techniques and in the use of distraction devices. They also undergo training to conduct operations in CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) environments and to provide a response to terrorist attacks in London as part of the MPS's Operation Kratos.

The SFO teams focus almost entirely on supporting authorised firearms operations and providing a response to developed sieges and other operations of a highly specialised nature. Their level of training, exposure and experience in dealing with such a wide range of armed incidents lead many to consider the CO19 SFOs to be one of Europe's leading specialist armed police support units. The SFO teams undertook 407 deployments in the 2006/07 financial year.

All aspects of armed policing in the UK are covered by guidance issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in their Manual of Guidance on the Police Use of Firearms. This manual provides an overview of the basic principles and tactics involved in the use of firearms by police officers in different environments along with details of command structures that are in place in all pre-planned and spontaneous firearms operations.

[edit] Firearms in use

[edit] Standard weapons (AFO)

Firearms in service vary between forces in the UK as individual Chief Constables and Police Authorities retain considerable independence. Kent Constabulary, for instance, require potential SFOs to have been trained in

Officers may also be trained in the use of equivalent weapons.

[edit] Specialist weapons (SFO)

Fully automatic weapons can be granted for special use in hostage rescue situations.[citation needed]

[edit] In popular culture

  • As SO19, and now referred to as "CO19", the unit often features in The Bill.
  • CO19 (formerly SO19) was heavily used in the Playstation 2 video game series The Getaway as backup for DC Frank Carter of the Flying Squad and Sgt Ben Mitchell of CO19, the operatives in the first game wore baseball caps, but the designers later reworked the model, with their headgear changed into PASGT helmets.
  • In 2007 film Hot Fuzz, Nicholas Angel is described as a former member of CO19, and is shown in flashback armed with a G36 and full CO19 gear shooting an offender holding an AK-47.

[edit] Similar units outside the United Kingdom

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ London Metropolitan Police Firearms Unit.
  2. ^ a b c d Police Firepower.
  3. ^ (2007) Armed Police, The Police Use of Firearms since 1945. England: Sutton, 224. ISBN 0750946377. 
  4. ^ Collins, Steve (1998). The Good Guys Wear Black. England: Arrow Books Ltd; New Ed edition, 256 pages. ISBN 978-0099186823. 
  5. ^ (2007) Armed Police, The Police Use of Firearms since 1945. England: Sutton, 224. ISBN 0750946377. 
  6. ^ Collins, Steve (1998). The Good Guys Wear Black. England: Arrow Books Ltd; New Ed edition, 256 pages. ISBN 978-0099186823. 
  7. ^ (2007) Armed Police, The Police Use of Firearms since 1945. England: Sutton, 224. ISBN 0750946377. 
  8. ^ (2007) Armed Police, The Police Use of Firearms since 1945. England: Sutton, 224. ISBN 0750946377. 
  9. ^ (2007) Armed Police, The Police Use of Firearms since 1945. England: Sutton, 224. ISBN 0750946377. 
  10. ^ (2007) Armed Police, The Police Use of Firearms since 1945. England: Sutton, 224. ISBN 0750946377. 

[edit] External links