Protection Command

The Protection Command is one of the three Commands within the Specialist Operations directorate of London's Metropolitan Police Service.^[1] Within the Command, there are two branches - Specialist Protection and Royalty Protection, which provides protective security to the government/diplomatic community and Royal Family respectively. In contrast with the vast majority of British police officers, many members of the Protection Command routinely carry firearms in the course of their duties and all are Authorised Firearms Officers.^[2]^[3]

Branches

Specialist Protection

The Specialist Protection Branch (SO1) is responsible for providing specialist protection for the current and former prime ministers, along with other government ministers. They also protect certain ambassadors, visiting dignitaries and other high-profile citizens who are deemed to be under possible assassination or terrorist threat.^[1]

Specialist Protection officers may be deployed at short notice, when information has been received that someone may be under threat. The command is also responsible for carrying out security assessments on civilian staff employed by those under protection, along with assessing security risks to the person protected. Specialist Protection officers also offer personal protection advice to people who could benefit from being protected, but who are not deemed to be of such a need that protection from the command is necessary.^[1] It has some 230 members.

Royalty Protection

The Royalty Protection Branch (SO14) provides protection for the Royal Family, both nationally and internationally. The branch has responsibility both for guarding the royal residences within London and those outside the city such as Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle and Holyrood Palace, policing members of the public on tours of certain royal residences, as well as providing 24-hour uniformed guarding of certain royal buildings. The branch also offers protection for foreign royals visiting the United Kingdom.^[1]

As with all police officers of territorial police forces in England & Wales, Metropolitan Police officers have the powers and privileges of a constable throughout England and Wales.^[4] However, when assigned to the protection of people or property in Scotland or Northern Ireland, Metropolitan Police officers, uniquely, also have the powers and privileges of a constable of the local territorial police force in the discharge of that duty.^[5] It has some 400 members.

Diplomatic Protection Group

The Diplomatic Protection Group (SO6) provides protection for foreign missions in London, including protecting diplomatic staff, embassies, ambassadorial residences, and visiting heads of state, heads of government, and ministers. These officers are easily identified because they drive red marked police vehicles, instead of the usual black and silver.

In the media

Because of their role in protection of high-profile persons, the Protection Command attracts media attention:

In 1994, an officer from the command shot himself in the leg during target practice.^[6]
In 2000, an officer negligently discharged his weapon aboard the royal train while assigned to protect the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.^[6]
In 2003, a Royalty Protection Officer sold the "green book" - the internal phone directory for the royal family - to News International for 1,000 pounds in cash.^[7]
In 2009, allegations were made in court by the barrister representing a former Royalty Protection officer facing charges of fraud. The allegations suggested that officers had acted inappropriately within Buckingham Palace. None of the allegations was substantiated, the barrister withdrew from the court case prior to its end and the former officer making the allegations was subsequently convicted of fraud.^[8]^[9]
In 2011, an officer was suspended, and subsequently dismissed, over allegations that he had an affair with his protectee's wife.^[10]
In 2012, it was reported that Prince Harry's protection whilst abroad in Las Vegas had been "amateurish" as they allowed nude photos of the prince to be taken, with one officer's sole preventative measure being heard to say, "Awww, come on ... no photos."^[11]
In February 2013 an officer was found dead from a gunshot wound in a property on King's Terrace in Camden.^[12]
In October 2014, a running man bumped into David Cameron while on a visit in Leeds. SO1 were criticised for failing to initially intercept/block what later transpired to be an innocent jogger ^[13]^[14]

References

1 2 3 4 "Specialist Operations". Metropolitan Police Service. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
↑ "Metropolitan Police Force's Firearms Unit". Global-defence.com. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
↑ "Police Use of Firearms Policy" (PDF). Metropolitan Police Service. December 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
↑ "Police Act 1996, Section 30". legislation.gov.uk. 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
↑ "Police Act 1996, Section 99". legislation.gov.uk. 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
1 2 "Gun fired on royal train". BBC News. 16 June 2000. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
↑ O'Carroll, Lisa (22 April 2014). "Andy Coulson: I 'rubber-stamped' £1,000 cash for royal phone book". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
↑ Howe, Melvyn (17 July 2009). "Royalty protection officer convicted over £3m scam". The Independent (London). Retrieved 22 May 2010.
↑ Swaine, Jon (22 May 2009). "Royal Protection Officers 'sat on Queen's throne'". Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 8 June 2009.
↑ Quinn, Ben (22 November 2011). "Alan Johnson's former bodyguard sacked from Met police". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 28 November 2011.
↑ "Royals mad at Harry's 'amateur' handlers". Channel24. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
↑ "Police protection officer died from gun wound in Camden". BBC News. 22 February 2013.
↑ "Jogger in PM security alert had 'no idea' what happened". BBC News. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
↑ Dodd, Vikram (27 October 2014). "Police under fire after David Cameron security scare involving jogger". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2015.

External links

Metropolitan Police Service

Specialist Crime & Operations	Air Support Unit Dog Support Unit Marine Policing Unit Mounted Branch Emergency Preparedness OCU Public Order OCU Specialist Firearms Command Traffic OCU Traffic Criminal Justice Unit Territorial Support Group Covert policing Economic and Specialist Crime Forensic Services Homicide and Serious Crime Command Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Command Operations Trident and Trafalgar Serious and Organised Crime Command (Flying Squad)

Specialist Operations	Counter Terrorism Command Protection Command Diplomatic Protection Group Specialist Protection Branch Royalty Protection Branch Special Escort Group Security Command Aviation Security Operational Command Unit Palace of Westminster Division Counter Terrorism Protective Security Command

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