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| Counter Terrorism Command | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 2 October 2006 – present (formed from the merger of the |
| Agency | |
| Operations jurisdiction | |
| Headquarters | New Scotland Yard, Victoria Embankment, London SW1A 2JL |
| Abbreviation | CTC SO15 |
TheCounter Terrorism Command (CTC) orSO15 is aSpecialist Operations branch withinLondon'sMetropolitan Police Service and theCity of London Police.[1] The CTC was established as a result of the merging of theAnti-Terrorist Branch (SO13) andSpecial Branch (SO12) in October 2006, bringing together intelligence, operations, and investigative functions to form a single command.[1] The CTC has more than 1,500 police officers and staff, including a number of investigators based overseas, and also hosts theCounter Terrorism Policing headquarters.
It originated in 1883 as theIrish Bureau, orSpecial Irish Branch as it became known, formed in 1883 atNew Scotland Yard by the then Home Secretary,Sir William Harcourt. It consisted of just 12 detectives aiming to defeat the "Fenian" terrorist campaign that had been ongoing in London and across the country. By November 2013, the form of the CTC had grown to comprise 1,790 staff including 1,350 police officers and 600 detectives working in 75 specialist units with the capability to respond proactively or reactively anywhere in the world.
According to the CTC's website,[1] the Command's overriding priority is to keep the public safe and to disruptterrorist-related activity in the United Kingdom and against UK interests overseas by:
The CTC has a number of other national security functions. It deals with sensitive national security investigations, such as Official Secrets Act enquiries; and the investigation of war crimes (in effect making it the successor to the Met'sWar Crimes Unit), crimes against humanity, and politically motivated murders.[1]
The CTC is part of theCounter Terrorism Policing network.[2][3] It is overseen by the counter-terrorism coordination committee, chaired by Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor of the Metropolitan Police Service.[2] As part of its role in the Counter Terrorism Policing network, the CTC operates against the threat of terrorism at a local, national and international level, and engages with a range of partners, including the Security Service (MI5) and Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), to prevent terrorist-related activity.[1]
In its present form, the CTC has been responsible for investigating several high-profile terrorist incidents, including:
Through the International Operations branch of the CTC, it has deployed officers around the world in response to terrorist incidents in support of host countries and to investigate when British nationals are the victims of acts of terrorism. Such investigations include:
As of December 2025,[5] those directly in charge of Counter Terrorism are Commanders Dom Murphy and James Harman, who ultimately report to Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor.
| No. | Name | Tenure start | Tenure end | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CommanderPeter Clarke | 2006 | 2008 | [6] |
| 2 | Commander John McDowall | 2008 | 2011 | |
| 3 | Commander Richard Walton | 2011 | 2015 | |
| 4 | Commander Dean Haydon | 2015 | 2018 | [7] |
| — | Acting Commander Clarke Jarrett | 2018 | 2019 | [8] |
| 5 | Commander Richard Smith | 2019 | ? | [8] |
| Regional policing |
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| National |
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