THE POLICE ADVISOR BLOG

In this last part of our Armed Policing blog (for now), I'm going to take a look at the uniform and equipment worn and used by armed officers. This is a huge topic, and I can only really scratch the surface. I'll be talking about contemporary policing (2020s), so before we start, a reminder that if you're working on a Film or TV production, or writing a script or book which portrays armed officers from any era, please do get in touch and I can give you some specific, expert a

CTSFOs - Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers - are the most highly trained and best equipped armed police officers in the UK. They came about in the run up to 2012, where the need was recognised for specialist armed teams to be available to respond to a terrorist attack anywhere in the UK, with a particular focus on the forthcoming London Olympics. Existing SFO (Specialist Firearms Officers) teams across the country were subjected to an intensive training program s

Every UK police force deploys Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs), on duty all day, every day, 365 days a year. They are the 24/7 armed response team, used to deal with the most serious and challenging incidents in a police area. ARVs are usually large SUV type vehicles - traditionally BMW X5s but changing over slowly to Volvo XC60s as well as the larger VW vehicles. You may have seen them about. Each car will have 2 or 3 armed officers on board. A Met ARV officer next to a typica

I've been wondering for a few days what to write about the ongoing far right unrest which is blighting many towns in the UK at the moment. I thought about musing on the causes, or the types of people who are inciting the mob, or even about those who are burning cars, looting shoe shops, or attacking the police, supposedly all in the name of three murdered little girls in Southport. But then I realised that the people I'm thinking about most is the police officers, out there,

If you've read my previous blog entries about armed policing, then you may recall that the Tactical Firearms Commander (TFC) makes the decision to deploy armed police, and comes up with a plan; then the Operational Firearms Commander (OFC) is responsible for putting the plan into effect on the ground. To help both commanders develop and deploy a plan, they make use of one or more pre-defined tactics, which outline how the armed police officers should approach and deal with an

In an earlier blog post I outlined the role of the TFC - the tactical firearms commander - who has responsibility for deciding to deploy armed units, and coming up with a plan. Above them in the command structure is the SFC - the Strategic Firearms Commander. They are a senior police officer - usually of at least the rank of Superintendent, and in smaller forces they can even be up to deputy Chief Constable level. In most forces, the SFC is on call and has other duties, altho

All firearms operations have a command structure, which is defined and explained in the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice guide to armed policing. The Operational Firearms Commander, or OFC, is an important role. They're a police officer, trained in firearms use and tactics, with additional training to allow them to command a team on the ground. When a TFC deploys armed officers to an incident, they will develop a tactical plan which outlines where the offi

First off, full disclosure - this is the role I performed in the Metropolitan Police for 5 years! TFC stands for Tactical Firearms Commander, a police officer of at least the rank of Inspector, who has received special training in firearms deployments and tactics, and been suitably accredited by the College of Policing. All TFCs must undergo annual appraisals to stay "in ticket", and must reaccredit every five years. Whenever firearms officers are deployed, they will be under

Many TV and film dramas portray British armed police, and as you might expect, there's a whole spectrum of authenticity on show from the amazingly accurate (they must have had a really good Police Advisor!) to the terrible. While much of the audience might not even notice, there's a proportion who will know something isn't right, and that can get in the way of their enjoyment and/or understanding of the story you're trying to tell. This is the first of a brief series of blog