It was formed on 11 March 1985 by CommissionerKenneth Newman.[2] At its peak, Specialist Operations (SO) was a group of twenty specialist units, which were formed to give the Metropolitan Police a specialist policing capability. The SO designation was implemented in 1985 as part ofSir Kenneth Newman's restructuring of the Metropolitan Police Service.[3] Most of the units designated SO units were already in existence, many of them as branches withinC Department of New Scotland Yard, and all were presided over by an Assistant Commissioner of Special Operations (ACSO).
In 1999, its Organised Crime Group took over residual work from the disbandedWar Crimes Unit.[4]
In 2010, ACSO co-directedOperation Guava, aimed at "a significant terrorist plot".[5] The aim of this ACSO action was to prevent the establishment of a jihadist training camp in Kashmir on land owned by one of the suspects.[6] Operation Guava resulted in the 2012 conviction ofUsman Khan, who went on to perpetrate the2019 London Bridge stabbing.[7][8]
Until April 2015, theProtection Command was split into three units that provided protection for ministers, for the royal family, and for foreign embassies, diplomats, and visiting dignitaries:
Specialist Protection (SO1)
Provided armed personal protection services forministers and public officials at threat from terrorism, including visitingheads of government and other public figures. In April 2015, it was merged with Royalty Protection to form Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP).
Royalty Protection (SO14)
Provided protection for themonarch and other members of theRoyal Family. TheOperational Command Unit (OCU) was divided into Residential Protection, Personal and Close Protection, and theSpecial Escort Group (SEG) that provided mobile protection. In April 2015, it was merged with Specialist Protection to form Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP).
Provided protection for foreign missions in London, including protecting embassies and the residences of visiting heads of state, heads of government and ministers. In April 2015, it was merged with thePalace of Westminster Division to form Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP).
Until April 2015, the Security Command consisted of three units that provided protection for Parliament, for the two airports within Greater London (Heathrow Airport and London City Airport), and for major events in London.[9]
Was responsible for the protection of the Houses of Parliament and consisted of a team of 500 people.[10] Officers were unarmed. In April 2015, it was merged with the Diplomatic Protection Group to form Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP).
This was formed by the merger in October 2006 of theAnti-Terrorist Branch (SO13) andSpecial Branch (SO12), both already within Specialist Operations. It has remained structurally unchanged since that date.
Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) provides personal protection for the royal family, the prime minister, government ministers, ambassadors, visiting heads of state and other individuals deemed to be at risk. RaSP also provide armed security at royal residences in London, Windsor, and Scotland. TheSpecial Escort Group (SEG) is also operated by Special Operations.[13]
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) provides armed protection of embassies, missions and the Parliamentary Estate. They also provide residential protection for high-profile government ministers and are responsible for access control and security at Downing Street and New Scotland Yard. PaDP was formed in April 2015, with the merger of the Diplomatic Protection Group (SO16, formerly SO6) and the Palaces of Westminster Command (SO17).[13]
The Security Command is led by a commander and overseen by the samedeputy assistant commissioner as the Protection Command.[11] The command comprises two branches:[12]
Counter Terrorism Protective Security Operations (CTPSO - SO20) continues to provide counter-unmanned aerial system capabilities and other security measures to prevent terrorism across London.
TheCounter Terrorism Command (CTC) is led by a commander overseen by adeputy assistant commissioner. The deputy assistant commissioner is the concurrentNational Police Chiefs' Council Senior National Coordinator forCounter Terrorism Policing leading the network.[15] The Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) is responsible for protecting London and the rest of the United Kingdom from the threat of terrorism. The command operates against the threat of terrorism at a local, national and international level, and supports the national Counter Terrorism Policing network (the regional counter terrorism units and the National Police Chiefs' Council). The Command also has the national lead for domestic extremism in support of theNational Domestic Extremism and Disorder Intelligence Unit. The command also deals with sensitive national security investigations, such as Official Secrets Act enquiries, the investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and politically motivated murders.[15] It was created in 2006 through the merger of the Met'sAnti-Terrorist Branch andSpecial Branch.
Owing to continual restructuring of the Metropolitan Police, only a few of the original SO units still exist in their original form and still use the SO designation. Where the SO designation has been reassigned to another unit, the units are listed in order
^A Police for the People - Report of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for the Year 1985 (Cmnd. 9790; London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office), page 42
^"Quarter 2, 2010–11 GLA Group Monitoring Report - Appendix 1"(PDF).Mayor of London. 3.70: London Assembly. 9 February 2011. p. 41. Retrieved1 December 2019.20 December 2010, 12 Terrorism Act arrest warrants were executed simultaneously in relation to Operation Guava, under the direction of ACSO{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^Pantucci, Raffaello (2015)."Innovation and Learning in the British Jihad". In Magnus Ranstorp; Magnus Normark (eds.).Understanding Terrorism Innovation and Learning: Al-Qaeda and Beyond. Routledge. p. 221.ISBN978-1317538059.the Operation Guava group planned to establish a training camp in Kashmir on the grounds of a piece of property owned by one of the cell's members and to turn this into a location where British jihadists could go and train
^Paul Hannon; Stephen Fidler (30 November 2019)."Attack by Convicted Terrorist Prompts U.K. to Review Sentencing".The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved1 December 2019.Mr. Khan was one of nine people who were imprisoned after pleading guilty to being part of a group that was plotting in 2010 to plant a pipe bomb in a toilet in the London Stock Exchange. The group, which had been tracked by Britain's internal security service MI5 in an operation code-named Guava
