Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officer

A Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officer (CTSFO) is an elite United Kingdom police firearms officer.[1] The CTSFO standard is the highest Authorised Firearms Officer level in the National Police Firearms Training Curriculum (NPFTC) and was established by the Metropolitan Police Service in the lead up to the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London in July 2012.[2][3]

A national capability to respond to terrorist incidents such as marauding terrorist firearms attacks through collaboration of police forces who maintain CTSFO teams was established known as the CTSFO Network.[4][5]

History

Prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics, the highest authorised firearms officer standard was the Specialist Firearms Officer (SFO). The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in preparation for the Olympics trained officers to a higher standard, including use of live rounds during close quarters combat (CQC) training and fast-roping from helicopters, to be able to respond more effectively to terrorist incidents.[3][6][7][8] Conducting training with the United Kingdom Special Forces at a level approaching the Special Air Service and/or Special Boat Service standards.[9][7]

Training was also provided to five territorial police forces, including Thames Valley Police, West Yorkshire Police, West Midlands Police, Greater Manchester Police and Strathclyde Police (now Police Scotland), to form what was named the national Combined Response Firearms Teams (CRFT) capability for the London Olympics and Paralympic Games.[10][11][12][13] The police forces received standardised training and also had standardised procedures, weaponry and equipment to enable interoperability.[14]

In April 2016, a two year recruitment drive known as the CTSFO uplift project, part of the National Armed Uplift Programme, commenced to double the number of CTSFOs and has been extended until the end of 2018.[2][15]

CTSFO Network

The CTSFO Network provides a collective response capability to terrorist incidents from police forces with CTSFO teams through regional hubs based nationally.[2][9][5][14] The national Combined Response Firearms Teams established for the Olympics was maintained after the closing of the Games forming the basis of the CTSFO Network.[3] The CTSFO Network has 5 regional hubs outside London including Scotland.[16][5]

In 2013, West Midlands Police CTSFOs deployed to London to support the MPS following the Murder of Lee Rigby in Operation Pegboard.[12]

MPS Specialist Firearm Command

The MPS Specialist Firearms Command (SC&O19) has 7 CTSFO teams consisting of 1 sergeant and 15 constables, including females, with 6 CTSFO Inspectors and an Operational Senior Manager with a reported strength of 130 officers.[17][18][7][19] An operational CTSFO team works a 7 week shift pattern which includes night duty.[17] CTSFO teams are able to be deployed by air, on the river, using armoured vehicles and motorcycles if needed.[20]

On 30 June 2015, Operation Strong Tower was held in London. It was the largest counter-terrorism exercise ever conducted in the United Kingdom and included the British Transport Police.[21]

On 3 August 2016, the MPS held a press conference for the announcement of Operation Hercules displaying the CTSFO teams to the public with officers equipped with SIG Sauer SIG516 and SIG MCX carbines and paraded the BMW F800GS motorcycles used for deployments in central London.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Why do we have Armed Police?". Police Firearms Officers Association. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "More firearms officers ready to protect the public". National Police Chiefs' Council (Press release). 19 April 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Firearms Training - Commissioner Briefing Paper" (PDF). Police & Crime Commissioner Greater Manchester. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "NPCC Lead for Armed Policing has said he is confident in the ability of firearms officers to protect the public". National Police Chiefs' Council (Press release). 18 November 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 Police Firepower (PDF) (Radio broadcast). File on 4. BBC Radio 4. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  6. ↑ "Minutes of the ACPO Armed Policing Working Group" (PDF). National Police Chief's Council. Association of Chief Police Officers Minutes. 24 January 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 Vikram Dodd (29 June 2015). "Scotland Yard creates SAS-style unit to counter threat of terrorist gun attack". The Guardian.
  8. ↑ Drweiga, Andrew (March 2013). "A Career Policing London's Skies". Rotor and Wing. Vol. 47 no. 3. Rockville, Maryland, USA: Access Intelligence. p. 54. ISSN 1066-8098.
  9. 1 2 "NPCC Lead for Armed Policing has said he is confident in the ability of firearms officers to protect the public". National Police Chiefs' Council (Press release). 18 November 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  10. ↑ Smith, Stephen (2013). Stop! Armed police! : inside the Met's firearms unit. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 9780719808265.
  11. ↑ "Performance Review Committee" (PDF). Thames Valley Police Authority. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Strategic Policing and Crime Board Report" (PDF). West Midlands Police. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  13. ↑ Magnay, Jacquelin (21 May 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: police officers across Great Britain seconded to help bolster Games security". The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Report on the Ninth International Law Enforcement Forum - International Law Enforcement Recommendations on Preventing and Countering Armed Attacks". Interpol. 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  15. ↑ Williams, Patrick (13 November 2016). "Police across England and Wales to have counter-terrorist firearms units". Daily Star. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  16. ↑ Deputy Chief Constable Simon Chesterman (NPCC lead for Armed Policing) [@@ChestermanSimon] (3 August 2016). "Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers are not just based in London, they are part of a national network." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. 1 2 "Guidance Note - Experienced Police Officers - Specialist Roles" (PDF). Metropolitan Police Service. 11 February 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2015.
  18. ↑ "SC&O19 Operational Capability". Metropolitan Police Service. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  19. ↑ Greenwood, Chris (18 November 2015). "Chilling new face of police in Britain: Female 'robocops' dressed in military fatigues and armed with semi-automatic rifles are new face of counter-terrorism". Daily Mail. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  20. ↑ Harris, Lord Toby (October 2016). "An independent review of London's preparedness to respond to a major terrorist incident" (PDF). Greater London Authority. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  21. ↑ Chorley, Matt (30 June 2015). "Britain prepares for its nightmare scenario: Police stage mock Tunisia-style 'marauding gun attack' on streets of London in biggest ever counter-terrorism exercise in the UK". Daily Mail. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  22. ↑ Sculthorpe, Tim (3 August 2016). "ISIS, meet the C-Men: Scotland Yard shows off the first of 600 awesomely armed (and masked) Counter-Terrorism firearms officers who hit the streets today in vans, boats and MOTORBIKES". Daily Mail. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
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