The Specialist Firearms Command (CO19) (better known by its former Specialist Operations designation SO19) is the department of London's Metropolitan Police which provides firearms-related support to the generally unarmed force. 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 baseball caps. Specialist Operations was a group of twenty specialist Metropolitan Police units which were set up in 1986 as part of Sir Kenneth Newmans restructuring of the Metropolitan Police Service. ... London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom, and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) (commonly referred to by its former official name of the Metropolitan Police, or colloquially as The Met; often referred to in legislation as the Police of the Metropolis) is the Home Office (territorial) police force responsible for Greater London, England, with the exception of the... Special response teams are heavily armed and armored. ... Black beret with military emblem A beret (pronounced in British English and in American English) is a soft round cap with a flat crown which is worn by both men and women. ... A baseball cap worn with the bill at the front, shading the eyes A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a long, stiffened and curved peak and it is worn by men, women and children. ...

History

The Firearms Wing was established in December 1966 as part of the Civil Defence and Communications Branch (D6, later D11) following the murder of three officers in the Massacre of Braybrook Street. It originally consisted of ten officers who were trained by British Army instructors and then themselves trained Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs) throughout the force. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The Massacre of Braybrook Street was, excepting terrorist attacks, the worst mass murder of police officers in British history. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ...

In the mid-1980s, as a result of several tragic mistakes by local AFOs, the operational role of D11 began to increase dramatically. Prior to this, the D11 teams, made up of instructors, would normally only be deployed at well-established sieges, or if exceptional firearms were expected to be encountered. Unable to keep up with the increased work load, non-instructors, known as Level 2 Officers, were selected and used to deal with pre-planned and response operations not involving hostages or suspects with exceptional firepower. The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ... A siege is a prolonged military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. ...

The Level 1 teams made up of instructors dealt with more serious incidents. By this time, the unit had undergone a name change and had become PT17 (the "PT" standing for "Personnel and Training"). By 1991, the two teams had merged into their current format and were known as Special Firearms Operations Teams (SFOs). At the same time, the Armed Response Vehicle Teams (ARVs) were created to deal with response calls round the clock. The department, for the first time, came under the control of Operations and became SO19 (the "SO" standing for "Specialist Operations"). 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Armed Response Vehicles (ARVs) are the British polices solution to combating armed criminal activity. ...

In 2005, following a significant reorganisation of some units in the Metropolitan Police, the unit moved from Specialist Operations to Central Operations, becoming CO19, although the officers' shoulder numbers, even in the D11 days, had always been prefixed with "CO" (in this case standing for Commissioner's Office). At the same time the department was renamed from the Force Firearms Unit to the Specialist Firearms Command. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) (commonly referred to by its former official name of the Metropolitan Police, or colloquially as The Met; often referred to in legislation as the Police of the Metropolis) is the Home Office (territorial) police force responsible for Greater London, England, with the exception of the... Specialist Operations was a group of twenty specialist Metropolitan Police units which were set up in 1986 as part of Sir Kenneth Newmans restructuring of the Metropolitan Police Service. ... Central Operations (CO) is a major command of the London Metropolitan Police that provides operational support to the rest of the service. ...

Current role

The department maintains its training role and is still responsible for training the Met's 3,000 AFOs. These include SO12 (Special Branch), SO14 (Royalty Protection), SO16 (Diplomatic Protection Group), SO18 (Airports; policing London Heathrow Airport and London City Airport), SCD7(5) (Flying Squad), SCD11 (Surveillance), the Belmarsh High Security Court Team, and some Territorial Support Group (TSG) officers. Special Branch is the arm of the British, Irish and many Commonwealth police forces that deals with national security matters. ... See Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department. ... The Diplomatic Protection Group (the DPG or SO16 of the Metropolitan Police) provides protection and support to Members of the Diplomatic Community and members of HM Government. ... London Heathrow Airport (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL), often referred to as Heathrow, is the busiest airport in the world in terms of international passenger traffic. ... London City Airport (IATA: LCY, ICAO: EGLC) is a single-runway airport, intended for use by STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) airliners, and principally serving the financial districts of London. ... (Other meanings: a union flying squad is a subset of a labor union) The Flying Squad is a branch of Londons Metropolitan Police force. ... HM Prison Belmarsh is a high security prison in London, England. ... The Territorial Support Group (TSG) is a special response unit of Londons Metropolitan Police Service. ...

The ARVs now deal with thousands of armed calls a year, ranging from children with air rifles to serious armed incidents. In their first year of operation they were deployed actively 132 times; in 2001, that number rose to 1441, and in 2002 to 2490. However they also attend many more false alarms or situations where use of weapons is not required - a total of 13,394 calls in 2002. Air guns are weapons that propel a bullet using compressed air or another gas, possibly liquefied. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

The smaller and more highly trained SFO teams deal with nearly 1,000 operations a year. The additional training of SFOs includes the use of a wider range of weaponry including shotguns, and their additional firearms include Heckler and Koch MP5 and Heckler & Koch G36 carbines, and also CS gas and stun grenades. SFOs are trained in "Dynamic entry", involving abseiling, the use of ladders, and explosive charges to rapidly gain entry to buildings. Full body armour is available to them, including nuclear, biological and chemical protective clothing. Remington pump-action shotgun held by a Florida Highway Patrol cadet shotgun, see: Shotgun (disambiguation). ... Heckler und Koch GmbH (H&K) is a German weapons manufacturing company famous for various series of small firearms, notably the MP5 submachine gun, the MP7 personal defense weapon and the G3 and G36 assault rifles. ... The MP5 is a submachine gun, developed by German weapons designer Heckler und Koch (HK) in the 1960s. ... Heckler & Koch G41 Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) (pronounced //) is a German weapons manufacturing company famous for various series of small firearms, notably the MP5 submachine gun, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the high-precision sniper rifle PSG1, and the G3 and G36 assault rifles. ... H&K G36 The Heckler und Koch Gewehr Model 36 (company designation G36, Bundeswehr designation ) is a modular weapon system designed in West Germany in the 1980s and 1990s. ... A carbine is a firearm, similar to but shorter than an ordinary rifle or musket in barrel and stock. ... CS or 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (chemical formula: C10H5ClN2) is a substance that is used as a riot control agent and is usually claimed to be non-lethal by the forces who use it. ... A hand grenade is a hand-held bomb, made to be thrown by a soldier. ... In British English, abseiling (from the German abseilen, to rope down) is the process of descending on a fixed rope. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... A bulletproof vest – also called body armour (U.S. body armor) – is an article of protective clothing that works as a form of armour to minimize injury from being hit by a fired bullet. ... -1...

The operations SFOs perform range from pre-planned operations, to arrests of armed criminals and terrorists, hostage rescue and security operations.

The SFO teams are better equipped and trained than many national counter-terrorist teams and are well respected within the international tactical community for their varied and constant operational experience.

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.

Equipment used

• 9 mm Heckler & Koch MP5 (several variants).
• 7.62 mm Heckler & Koch G3K with Schmidt & Bender Flashdot sights and either collapsible stocks or adjustable PSG1 stocks.
• 5.56 mm Heckler & Koch G36C with various sighting systems.
• The standard issue pistol is the 9 mm GLOCK 17.
• M26 Taser made by Taser International.
• L104A1 Baton gun Heckler & Koch.
• Benelli M3 Super 90 12 Gauge Shotgun

Heckler & Koch G41 Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) (pronounced //) is a German weapons manufacturing company famous for various series of small firearms, notably the MP5 submachine gun, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the high-precision sniper rifle PSG1, and the G3 and G36 assault rifles. ... The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a submachine gun developed by German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch (HK) in the 1960s. ... Heckler & Koch G41 Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) (pronounced //) is a German weapons manufacturing company famous for various series of small firearms, notably the MP5 submachine gun, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the high-precision sniper rifle PSG1, and the G3 and G36 assault rifles. ... The G3 (Gewehr 3) is a family of select fire battle rifles manufactured by Heckler & Koch. ... Heckler & Koch G41 Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) (pronounced //) is a German weapons manufacturing company famous for various series of small firearms, notably the MP5 submachine gun, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the high-precision sniper rifle PSG1, and the G3 and G36 assault rifles. ... The Heckler & Koch G36 (company designation G36, Bundeswehr designation Gewehr G36, Kaliber 5. ... The GLOCK 17 was the first pistol designed and manufactured by the Austrian company GLOCK. It is a locked breech, short recoil 9 mm Luger semi-automatic pistol with a standard magazine capacity of 17 rounds of ammunition. ... TASER International, Inc. ... Heckler & Koch G41 Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) (pronounced //) is a German weapons manufacturing company famous for various series of small firearms, notably the MP5 submachine gun, the MP7 personal defense weapon, the high-precision sniper rifle PSG1, and the G3 and G36 assault rifles. ...

In fiction

• As SO19 (now referred to as "CO19") the unit often featured in The Bill.

• SO19 personnel are used in situations involving firearms in Ultimate Force

• CO19 (formerly SO19) was heavily used in the Getaway video game series as backup for Frank Carter and Ben Mitchell. CO19 operatives in the first game wore baseball caps, but the designers later reworked the model, with their headgear changed into PASGT helmets.

• The unit was seen in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex when Motoko Kusanagi infiltrated a CO19 squad by stealing a uniform from one of its operators.

The Bill is a long-running British television police procedural shown on ITV1, at 8PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays. ... Ultimate Force is a British television drama series shown on ITV1, which deals with the activities of the fictional Red Troop of the Special Air Service. ... In the United States Military, PASGT (pronounced pass-get) is the abbreviation for Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops. ...

Similar units outside the United Kingdom

Main article: List of special forces units

• NSW Police State Protection Group, Australia
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police ERT, Canada
• SWAT, United States of America
• Gendarmerie Nationale GIGN and EPIGN, France
• Spezialeinsatzkommando, Germany
• YAMAM, Israel
• Polizia di Stato NOCS, Italy
• New Zealand Police AOS, New Zealand
• Policía Nacional GEO, Spain
• Guardia Civil UEI, Spain
• Hong Kong Police Special Duties Unit, Hong Kong
• Garda Síochána Emergency Response Unit (ERU), Ireland

This is a list of special forces units. ... Badge of the NSW Police The New South Wales Police (also NSW Police or NSWPOL) is the primary law enforcement agency in the State of New South Wales, Australia. ... SPG subdued shoulder patch State Protection Group (SPG) is the special operations division of the Australian New South Wales Police. ... Royal Canadian Mounted Police heraldic badge. ... Emergency Response Team Operation The Emergency Response Team (ERT) are the paramilitary police arm of the RCMP. // Purpose and History of the ERT The ERT is called in to deal with situations that are beyond the abilities of regular police personnel. ... Special response teams are heavily armed and armored. ... Gendarmes Gendarmes guarding the Paris Hall of Justice Gendarmerie motorcyclists police the roads and autoroutes of rural France. ... GIGN Official Seal The GIGN (Groupe dIntervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale) is the French Gendarmeries elite counterterrorism and hostage rescue unit. ... The EPIGN (Escadron Parachutiste dIntervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale) is the parachutist intervention squadron of the French Gendarmerie. ... Spezialeinsatzkommandos (SEK) are the SWAT units of the German federal states. ... YAMAM symbol The YAMAM ( יממ ), is the acronym for Special Police Unit (יחידת משטרה מיוחדת) in Hebrew, Israels elite civilian counter-terrorism unit. ... The Polizia di Stato (State Police) is one of the two national police forces of Italy. ... The Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza (Central Security Operations Service, NOCS) are a part of the italian police. ... Flag of the New Zealand Police The New Zealand Police is the national police force of New Zealand, responsible for enforcing criminal and traffic law, enhancing public safety, maintaining order and keeping the peace throughout the country. ... AOS officers The Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) is a specialist unit of the New Zealand Police designed to cordon, contain and appeal to armed and dangerous offenders. ... Policia Nacional (actually Cuerpo Nacional de Policía) is the countrywide police agency of Spain. ... The Grupo Especial de Operaciones (Special Operations Group, GEO) is part of the Spanish National Police and is stationed in Guadalajara near the capital, Madrid. ... Patrol boat, Nervion river, Bilbao. ... The Unidad Especial de Intervención (Special Intervention Unit, UEI) is the emergency response unit of the Spanish Guardia Civil. ... The Hong Kong Police Force (香港警察) (from 1969 to 1997, Royal Hong Kong Police Force (皇家香港警察) is the police force of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ... SDU/ASU Recruitment Poster, 2005 The Special Duties Unit (SDU 特別任務連, nicknamed 飛虎隊 Flying Tigers) is a secretive and elite paramilitary police unit of the Hong Kong Police. ... Emblem of the Garda Síochána. ...

See also

• British Police: Use of firearms
• Counter-terrorism

The British police are a group of similar but independent police services which operate in the United Kingdom. ... Counter-terrorism refers to the practices, tactics, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism. ...

External link

• CO19 Homepage