Note: the London Metropolitan Police unit should not be confused with the Special Patrol Group unit of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The Special Patrol Group (SPG) in the Royal Ulster Constabulary was a police unit tasked with counter terrorism. ... The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. ...

The Special Patrol Group (SPG) was a controversial unit of the London Metropolitan Police. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Metropolitan Police redirects here. ...

History

The SPG was formed in 1961 to provide a centrally-based mobile squad for combatting particularly serious crime and other problems which could not be dealt with by local divisions. Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The convenient presence of a disciplined, well-organised team brought the group into increased use for the control of protests and demonstrations, where their presence sometimes came to assume unwanted symbolic significance. Demonstrators march in the street while protesting the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on April 16, 2005. ... For other uses, see Demonstration. ...

Their most controversial incident came in 1979 when they attended a protest by the Anti-Nazi League in Southall, London, and, during a running battle, demonstrator Blair Peach was allegedly beaten to death. In the inquiries which followed, various weaponry was found in the possession of SPG officers, including baseball bats, crowbars and sledgehammers. No SPG officer was ever charged with the attack, although later, an internal report was leaked which stated that the Metropolitan Police paid an out of court settlement to Peach's family. The SPG was also cited as a major factor in the 1981 Brixton riots. Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... Anti-Nazi League logo The Anti-Nazi League (ANL) was an organisation set up on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with some sponsorship (and a few small financial donations) from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people in 1977 to oppose the rise... It has been suggested that Southalls South Asian community be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Clement Blair Peach (25 March 1946 - April 23, 1979) was a New Zealand-born teacher of special needs children at a school in London. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. ... A crowbar A crowbar, also called a pry bar, is a tool consisting of a metal bar with one curved end and flattened points, often with a small fissure on the curved end for removing nails. ... A sledgehammer. ... The Brixton riot of April 11, 1981 was the most serious riot in London of the century. ...

The SPG was disbanded in 1986, with the role of mobile support and public order unit being taken over by the newly formed Territorial Support Group (TSG). Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... The Territorial Support Group (TSG) is a special response unit of Londons Metropolitan Police Service. ...

In popular culture

The SPG are caricatured in Michael de Larrabeiti's Borrible Trilogy novels as the SBG, the Special Borrible Group, who are charged with destroying the way of life of those who will not conform to society's norms. Michael de Larrabeiti, author, born 18 August in Lambeth, London in 1934, currently lives in Oxfordshire. ... The Borrible Trilogy is a series of young adult books written by Michael de Larrabeiti, made up of The Borribles, The Borribles Go For Broke, and The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis. ...

The SPG was a frequent butt of jokes on Not the Nine O'Clock News including a sketch where Rowan Atkinson criticises a racist police officer with the conclusion 'There's no room for men like you in my force, Savage. I'm transferring you to the SPG'. Not the Nine OClock News is a comedy television programme that was shown on the BBC, broadcast from 1979 to 1982. ... This article has been illustrated as part of WikiProject WikiWorld. ...

In 1982, a destructive hamster was named "Special Patrol Group" by its owner, the punk character Vyvyan in the BBC sitcom The Young Ones. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Genera Mesocricetus Phodopus Cricetus Cricetulus Allocricetulus Cansumys Tscherskia Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first seen in 1982, which aired on BBC2. ...

Punk band The Exploited wrote the song 'S.P.G' in response to the acts of the group at the time, and also in reference to an incident in which singer and author of the song Wattie Buchan was allegedly arrested by the SPG for violence at a demonstration. This incident is widely believed among the punk community to be untrue, as the SPG was unique of the Met Police and Wattie spent most of his life at the time in Scotland, although it is possible he travelled to London for said demonstration. The song can be found on the 1981 album Punk's Not Dead. The Exploited ( ) are a punk rock band from the second wave of UK punk, formed in late 1979 or early 1980. ... Walter Wattie Buchan (b. ... Punks Not Dead is the debut album by the punk band The Exploited, which was released in 1981 through Secret Records. ...

Other uses

• The Special Patrol is mentioned in the poem Five Nights of Bleeding, by Linton Kwesi Johnson, in which he states that they "will fall", and also in his song "Reggae Fi Peach" where he states "The SPG dem a murderer."

• Mentioned in The Oppressed song "Work Together"

• Mentioned in the Red Alert song "S.P.G" as well.

"Dreaming of how life could be, If society was free, If We never had no SPG, It's up to you, it's up to me, to me" Linton Kwesi Johnson (aka LKJ) (born 24 August 1952, in Chapelton, Jamaica) is a British-based Dub poet. ...

• The Special Patrol Group is a famous band around the beautiful location of Tasmania Australia. Its members consist Of Rory Hardwood, Kim Walls, Magnus Hine, Michael Collins And Ellis Davis-Pitt.