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79-786: In 2019/20 fiscal year, there were 19,372 police operations throughout England and Wales in which the deployment of firearms was authorised and 6,518 firearms officers, 4.9% of the 132,467 active full-time equivalent officers. Following the November 2015 Paris attacks , the decision was made to significantly increase the numbers of armed officers, particularly in London. AFOs can be up-skilled with additional qualifications, such as Armed Response Vehicle Officer (ARVO), Specialist Firearms Officer (SFO), and Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officer (CTSFO), alongside other specialities, including rifles. The term "authorised firearms officer" became

158-403: A Heckler & Koch G36 carbine. Former Chief Constable Sir Stephen House 's founding policy decision was that ARV officers would be granted a standing authority to overtly carry their sidearm and, in addition, controversially allowed ARV's to be able to respond to routine incidents (non-firearms incidents) "to provide support to local policing through regular and tasked patrols". This policy

237-455: A Wales criminal justice system . England and Wales are treated as a single unit for some purposes, because the two form the constitutional successor to the former Kingdom of England. The continuance of Scots law was guaranteed under the 1706 Treaty of Union that led to the Acts of Union 1707 , and as a consequence English law—and after 1801 , Irish law —continued to be separate. Following

316-676: A 12-month period and have at least two years previous police service. Special constables undertake a standardised comprehensive training program which normally runs over a course of at least eight weekends with one full week spent at Scottish Police College in Tulliallan . When on duty, they wear the exact same uniform as their regular counterparts. There are no differences in their uniform and they are visually indistinguishable from their regular colleagues. Special constables can be used in time of need, usually working alongside regular officers on community policing or emergency response teams and in

395-611: A collective response capability to terrorist incidents from police forces with CTSFO teams through regional hubs based nationally. The national Combined Response Firearms Teams established for the Olympics was maintained after the closing of the Games forming the basis of the CTSFO Network. The CTSFO Network has six regional hubs outside London including Scotland . In 2013, West Midlands Police CTSFOs deployed to London to support

474-660: A diverse fleet of vehicles, including many varied high speed watercraft. In July 2020 Police Scotland in co-operation with Ultimate Boats Police Scotland arranged a 3 year contract to operate a purpose built fully recyclable high speed vessel. The boat can reach up to 50 knots with a range of 400 nautical miles and is based on the River Clyde in order to provide extra support to marine incidents. The vessel became operational in June 2022. The mounted branches of Strathclyde Police and Lothian and Borders Police were merged prior to

553-721: A lower end of 37 in North Wales Police to a higher end of 2,469 in the Metropolitan Police for example. The figure for the Metropolitan Police is a uniquely high number compared to police forces outside of London due to certain factors such as London being the UK capital and by far the biggest city by population, being the location of the head of the UK government, monarchy and high-profile political sites (such as 10 Downing Street, Buckingham Palace and

632-635: A person and discharging it (whether accidentally , negligently or on purpose). As with all use of force in England and Wales, the onus is on the individual officer to justify their actions in court. Different police forces in the United Kingdom use different firearms. For forces in England and Wales, guidance is provided from ACPO and the Home Office . Decisions on which weapons will be employed by an individual police force largely rest with

711-608: A single site for the east of Scotland at Bilston, Midlothian . Closures in Aberdeen and Inverness (with control functionality moving to Dundee and call handling across the three sites in the Central Belt ) were delayed until 2017 as a result of a Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) review of the service, following a July 2015 incident in which two persons died after their vehicle had crashed off

790-468: A standing authority or if they were secured in the vehicles. The operational functions and cover of the ARV's also varied including if they could be tasked for routine incidents and one legacy force did not have a regular ARV patrol. Police Scotland introduced ARV patrols in all 13 local policing divisions in Scotland with 275 dedicated officers. ARV officers carry a X26 or X2 Taser , a Glock 17 handgun and

869-525: A standing authority to carry arms without the need for repeated authorisation. All police forces in the United Kingdom have an AFO selection process, varying slightly between each force. As with many police specialities, all authorised firearms officers have volunteered for the role. Candidates are required to gain approval from their superiors before embarking on a series of interviews, psychological and physical fitness tests, medical examinations and assessment days, before permission to commence firearms training

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948-1046: A total of three hull-loss accidents involving their aircraft, two of which resulted in fatalities. Police Scotland had access to a loan helicopter (also a Eurocopter EC135, registration G-CPSH , formerly of the Chiltern Air Support Unit ) from the National Police Air Service . This was removed from service with the formation of NPAS, due to budget cuts. Police Scotland received their own, new H135 (renamed EC135) in early 2017, registered G-POLS. The aircraft continues to be leased from Babcock, who also still provide pilots, maintenance and support. Police Scotland has two full-time units skilled in both underwater search and marine capability are based in Greenock (1 Sergeant and 11 Constables) and Aberdeen (dive supervisor and four Constables), as well as number of non-dedicated divers are retained across

1027-413: Is an officer who has undergone training to a more advanced level than authorised firearms officer. SFOs receive additional training in areas such as building assault and specialist weapon usage. The common role of an SFO is to assault premises involved in a siege situation, effect high-risk firearms related arrests and respond to terrorist threats. A counter terrorist specialist firearms officer ( CTSFO )

1106-600: Is covered by statute (such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and Human Rights Act 1998 ), policy (such as the Home Office Code of Practice on Police use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons and the ACPO Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms ) and common law . AFOs may only carry firearms when authorised by an "appropriate authorising officer". The appropriate authorising officer must be of

1185-857: Is currently the head of roads policing. The Collision Investigation function sits within Road Policing division. Unlike many other forces, there is no dedicated Collision Investigation Unit. Instead investigating serious and fatal RTCs lies with specially trained officers who carry out the role beside their core road patrol functions. Six operational support units (OSUs) have been established to provide specially skilled officers trained in over ground search, public order and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) response. When not used in their specialist roles OSU officers are deployed in local communities focusing on issues as directed by demand. OSUs are based in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee (North), Edinburgh and Alloa (East) and Glasgow (West). Across

1264-469: Is distinct from those of Northern Ireland and Scotland , and from Commonwealth realms . The national parks of England and Wales have a distinctive legislative framework and history. Police Scotland Police Scotland ( Scottish Gaelic : Poileas Alba ), officially the Police Service of Scotland ( Seirbheis Phoilis na h-Alba ), is the national police force of Scotland . It

1343-530: Is given. There is no guarantee of success; candidates can be returned to their previous role at any point in training if they do not meet the required standard. Once authorised, AFOs must pass regular refresher training and retests in order to maintain their authorisation. Failure to meet the required standards can result in the officer having their firearms authorisation revoked. Health or fitness problems can also result in temporary or permanent suspension from firearms duties. A specialist firearms officer ( SFO )

1422-503: Is overseen by a deputy chief constable. The country is divided geographically into 3 regions – North, East and West, each headed by an assistant chief constable. There are 13 divisions, each covering one or more local authority areas and headed by a chief superintendent. All divisional commanders are "people who came up through the ranks in that part of the country". Divisions are further split into Area Commands under chief inspectors. These are then managed by ward;under an inspector, mirroring

1501-778: Is the highest AFO level in the National Police Firearms Training Curriculum (NPFTC) and was established by the Metropolitan Police Service in the lead up to the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London on 27th of July. The firearms units of police forces organise CTSFOs into teams to establish a police tactical unit . A national capability to respond to terrorist incidents such as marauding terrorist attacks (MTA) through collaboration of police forces who maintain CTSFO teams

1580-399: Is to gather intelligence on terrorist operations and all terrorist-related incidents, and when the branch obtains any intelligence they shall pass on the information to the security service (MI5) or the service / agency appropriate to the current situation. The Special Branch also gathers intelligence on political and animal rights extremist activity, and any environmental extremism. In addition

1659-616: The Civil Nuclear Constabulary within their respective jurisdictions. Both the Metropolitan Police and National Crime Agency also have some jurisdiction in Scotland. In regard to the Metropolitan Police this is due to their national responsibilities for the protection of the Royal Family and other prominent persons, such as the Prime Minister, and for counter-terrorism . After a consultation process,

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1738-685: The Heckler and Koch G36 , MP7 and MP5 . England and Wales England and Wales ( Welsh : Cymru a Lloegr ) is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom . It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 . The substantive law of the jurisdiction is English law . The devolved Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh : Senedd Cymru ) – previously named

1817-578: The M9 motorway ; the matter had been reported to the police just after the crash but was not investigated further at the time as the call was not properly logged onto the computer systems due to inefficient interim procedures in place following the recent restructuring in the eastern region. The Aberdeen control room and service centre closed in March 2017, and Inverness followed in February 2018, with staff at

1896-654: The Police Service of Northern Ireland where all roughly 7,000 officers there are trained to AFO as standard and carry a Glock 17 sidearm as routine. Though the PSNI does also have in the hundreds of officers trained and equipped to ARVO, SFO and CTSFO standards. Additionally, three specialist UK police forces those being the British Transport Police , the Ministry of Defence Police , and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary are not included either. Although to note

1975-666: The Scottish Government confirmed on 8 September 2011 that a single police service would be created in Scotland. The Scottish Government stated that "reform will safeguard frontline policing in communities by creating designated local senior officers for every council area with a statutory duty to work with councils to shape local services. Establishing a single service aims to ensure more equal access to national and specialist services and expertise such as major investigation teams and firearms teams, whenever and wherever they are needed." The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill

2054-797: The Scottish Police Authority , Vic Emery (then the convener of the Scottish Police Services Authority ), was appointed in August 2012. As the date of formation approached, it was widely reported that the new chief constable and the Scottish Police Authority were in disagreement over the control of backroom staff. Police Scotland officially came into being on 1 April 2013 under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, merging

2133-598: The United Kingdom CTSFO Network , and are equipped with the SIG MCX carbine. In June 2016, it was announced there would be an additional 124 armed officers, of these, 90 officers would be dedicated to armed response vehicles and 34 would be trainers and specialist firearms officers, bringing the total number of armed officers to 365. The Dog Branch comprises 75 police dog handlers located throughout Scotland. Training has been centralised at

2212-415: The chief constable . The number of firearms officers per police force varies on many factors ranging from the force area population covered, force area jurisdiction covered, force area firearm crime rate, sites regarded at higher risk of threat from terrorism (such as governmental or national infrastructure sites for example), and more. As of 2021, the number of firearms officers per police force ranges from

2291-652: The red dragon of Wales was dropped and replaced with the unicorn of Scotland with the succession of King James I who demoted Wales' status on the coat of arms and on the first adaptation of the Flag of Great Britain . Prior to 1746, it was not clear whether a reference to "England" in legislation included Wales, and so in 1746, Parliament passed the Wales and Berwick Act 1746 . This specified that in all prior and future laws, references to "England" would by default include Wales (and Berwick-upon-Tweed ). The Wales and Berwick Act

2370-743: The 20th century. Examples are the Welsh Language Acts 1967 and 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 . Measures and Acts of the Senedd apply in Wales, but not in England. Following the Government of Wales Act, effective since May 2007, the Senedd can legislate on matters devolved to it. Following a referendum on 3 March 2011 , the Senedd gained direct law-making powers, without

2449-545: The 353 wards used in local authority elections; every ward in Scotland has its own local policing team (response) and problem solving team (community). As of 2023, the divisional structure is as follows: As of September 2023 : The Specialist Crime Division (SCD) provides access to national investigative and intelligence resources for matters relating to major crime, organised crime, counter terrorism, intelligence, covert policing and public protection. SCD comprises more than 2000 officers and targets individuals that pose

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2528-650: The Air Support Unit was inherited from Strathclyde Police , the only police force in Scotland to possess such a unit at amalgamation in April 2013. The majority of calls the helicopter is tasked with are missing persons incidents, however it also supports the likes of vehicle pursuits, command and control for events as well as mutual aid for other police services. The helicopter crew consists of one civilian pilot and two police officer observers. The Police Scotland and Strathclyde Police Air Support Units have suffered

2607-626: The BTP is a routinely unarmed police force that maintains its own dedicated firearms unit in the same way as most other police forces in the UK. The other two, the MoD police and the CNC, are however routinely armed police forces with all roughly 3,000 MoD police officers and all roughly 1,500 CNC officers being trained to AFO as standard and carrying the Glock 17 sidearm as routine as well as main primary firearms such as

2686-626: The Domestic Abuse Investigation Units. Another unit within the division is the Force Flexible Policing Unit (FFPU, or "Flexi Teams" as they are known locally), based in all three command areas (North, East, West). This unit's primary function is to act upon specific geographical intelligence relating to spikes in crime trends (particularly involving violence, alcohol, antisocial behaviour or other high volume crime), and carrying out taskings in

2765-515: The Grampian and Highlands Regions. The RPAS unit use two types of drones, being the DJI M210 and DJI Phantom . The drones are transported via 4x4 vehicles and are operated by two specially trained police officers. The RPAS unit is primarily used in urban areas at events as well as missing person searches, road traffic collisions (RTCs) and post incident investigations. The helicopter element of

2844-756: The Great in his Legal Code , c.  893 . However, after the Norman invasion of Wales in the 11th century, English law came to apply in the parts of Wales conquered by the Normans (the Welsh Marches ). In 1283, the English, led by Edward I , with the biggest army brought together in England since the 11th century, conquered the remainder of Wales , then organised as the Principality of Wales . This

2923-823: The MPS following the Murder of Lee Rigby in Operation Pegboard . In April 2016, a two-year recruitment drive known as the CTSFO uplift project, part of the Home Office National Armed Uplift Programme, commenced to double the number of CTSFOs and was extended until the end of 2018. In July 2019, the National Police Chiefs' Council reported that the uplift had increased the number of CTSFOs by 63%. AFOs are used by some specialist units of police forces throughout

3002-602: The National Assembly for Wales – was created in 1999 under the Government of Wales Act 1998 and provides a degree of self-government in Wales. The powers of the legislature were expanded by the Government of Wales Act 2006 , which allows it to pass its own laws , and the Act also formally separated the Welsh Government from the Senedd. There is no equivalent body for England , which is directly governed by

3081-634: The National Dog Training Centre in Glasgow. The Air Support Unit consists of three Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) teams based at Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness as well as one helicopter based at Glasgow City Heliport which is owned and operated by Babcock Mission Critical Services Onshore under contract. RPAS became operational in May 2019 at Aberdeen and Inverness due to the high amounts of search for persons incidents in

3160-639: The Special Branch provides personal protection to VIPs or certain individuals who may be vulnerable to potential terror attacks or other types of attacks. The Special Branch works very closely with the Secret Intelligence Service ( MI6 ), the Security Service ( MI5 ), and many other police forces in the UK. Police Scotland has limited responsibilities in relation to counter terrorism, with the Metropolitan Police being

3239-804: The UK Parliament for example), containing over one hundred foreign embassies, and the fact that the Metropolitan Police carry out specialist national policing functions such as Diplomatic and Royalty protection duties UK-wide that all require a substantial number of firearms officers. In comparison, all other UK police forces number significantly fewer firearms officers with the next biggest five police firearms units being those of Police Scotland with 530, Thames Valley Police with 240, West Yorkshire Police with 227, Greater Manchester Police with 225, and West Midlands Police with 221. The most common number of firearms officers per UK police forces typically ranges between 40 and 100. However this does not include

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3318-436: The United Kingdom (after the Metropolitan Police ) in terms of officer numbers, and by far the largest territorial police force in terms of its geographic area of responsibility. The chief constable is answerable to the Scottish Police Authority , and the force is inspected by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland . Scotland is also policed by the Ministry of Defence Police , British Transport Police , and

3397-486: The United Kingdom, who by nature of their role have a requirement to deploy armed police officers. Such units include the Diplomatic Protection Group of the Metropolitan Police Service , armed response vehicles in various police forces throughout the UK, in airport policing , and officers of the Ministry of Defence Police and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary . The use of firearms by the police

3476-638: The conquest, the Romans administered this region as a single unit, the province of Britain . Long after the departure of the Romans, the Britons in what became Wales developed their own system of law , first codified by Hywel Dda (Hywel the Good; reigned 942–950) when he was king of most of present-day Wales (compare King of Wales ); in England Anglo-Saxon law was initially codified by Alfred

3555-468: The country to provide additional support. The dive and marine unit supports several kinds of operations such as missing persons, counter terrorism, evidence recovery event patrols, etc utilising a range of vehicles and equipment. All Police Scotland divers are specially trained and must participate in an eight week dive course in co-operation with other specialist units, all with a varied background in policing and experience. The dive and marine unit boasts

3634-635: The country to respond to need and demand. The National Anti Corruption Unit is the first of its kind in UK policing and works in partnership with the public sector to prevent corruption in publicly funded organisations. The unit also offers a specialist investigative capability. The unit is split into two teams, one focused internally within Police Scotland whilst a second team focuses on other publicly funded organisations. The existing Scottish Intelligence Coordination Unit and Strathclyde Police Vice and Trafficking Unit combined on 1 April 2013 to form

3713-551: The development of new ways for the public to contact the police, including the 101 telephone number and contact points which connect callers at police stations directly to officers, as reasons for the proposed closures. The plans were condemned by some opposition MSPs . In November 2016, it emerged that 58 further stations could close as part of an estates review. In 2014, the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh

3792-464: The exchange of information and intelligence between Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service . The unit also develops and supports policy, procedure, planning, research, technology development, advice and communication between Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service. The Licensing and Violence Reduction Division (LVRD) contains a number of miscellaneous functions including the titular alcohol licensing and violence reduction teams. One of

3871-477: The following police forces around Scotland: This merger also included the: In June 2014, a leaked Police Scotland internal email to police managers in Dunfermline ordered a substantial increase in stop and search activities and warned any police officers not meeting the higher targets would be subjected to a performance development review. Police Scotland has previously denied setting stop and search performance targets for individual officers. The next month, it

3950-420: The force area the OSU comprises a total of 6 Inspectors, 18 Sergeants and 172 Constables. Armed Policing provides Armed Response Vehicles (ARV), the Specialist Firearms Unit and Armed Policing Training. Prior to the inception of Police Scotland, the routine tasking and visibility of ARV officers varied widely across Scotland with deployment models varying for matters such as if officers carried side arms with

4029-422: The force is led by an executive team that includes Chief Constable Jo Farrell , plus three deputy chief constables, a deputy chief officer and ten assistant chief constables. All force executive officers are based at Tulliallan Castle in Kincardine, Fife or Stirling Randolphfield. Police Scotland uses the same rank structure and insignia as other police forces in the United Kingdom. Local policing in Scotland

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4108-433: The force's use of stop and search powers from a report it had commissioned. Also removed from the report were calls for a review of stop and search on children and for clarification of the policy's primary aim. In October 2013, Police Scotland announced proposals to close 65 out of 215 police station public counters and reduce opening hours at others. The force cited a drop in the number of people visiting public counters and

4187-559: The form of high visibility patrols and public reassurance. The City of Glasgow was one of the first in Scotland to successfully trial a specialist Violence Reduction Unit . Policing of Scotland's roads network is the responsibility of the Roads Policing Unit. The unit is split into three areas, west, east and north which cover their respective Local Police Divisions. The departments aim is to achieve casualty reduction and wider operational objectives. There are roughly 500 road policing officers in Scotland, Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock

4266-436: The formation of Police Scotland. The combined branch now provides mounted support throughout Scotland. The mounted branch is based in Stewarton , East Ayrshire , and has a strength of 22 horses. Police Scotland operate three mountain rescue teams (Grampian, Strathclyde & Tayside), which provide search and rescue capabilities to those in need. Police Scotland also holds responsibility for search and rescue provision across

4345-403: The former Strathclyde Police headquarters in Pitt Street, central Glasgow were closed and the officers based there transferred to a new £24   million office in the Dalmarnock district of the city, although some operational functions, such as the control room for Ayrshire and Renfrewshire , moved to the regional communications facility in Govan . In October 2013, it was announced that

4424-451: The higher-profile units within the LVRD is the Domestic Abuse Task Force (DATF). The DATF has a presence in each of the command areas as DATF (West), DATF (East) and DATF (North). The DATF (North) is unique amongst the three in having sub-offices in N Division (Highlands and Islands), A Division (North-East) and D Division (Tayside). The DATF has national responsibility for pro-actively addressing domestic abuse. Its divisional equivalents are

4503-445: The latter location invited to re-train in a dedicated unit performing criminal record checks and other enquiries via the Police National Computer and related databases; this unit was to share work with an existing department in Govan, a proposal which local council leaders claimed was not what was originally presented to them during the consultation process. That department was formally launched in May 2018. As of August 2023 ,

4582-463: The law applicable to that business entity. A registered office must be specified as "in Wales" if the company wishes to use a name ending cyfyngedig or cyf , rather than Limited or Ltd. or to avail itself of certain other privileges relating to the official use of the Welsh language. Outside the legal system, the position is mixed. Some organisations combine as "England and Wales", others are separate. The order of precedence in England and Wales

4661-429: The legal system of the Kingdom of England. This was in part to update outdated Welsh laws, but also to control Wales alongside England; through these acts, the Welsh could be seen as equals to the English. This was reflected on both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I 's coat of arms where the dragon represented Wales and the lion represented England. As soon as the Tudor dynasty ended with the death of Elizabeth I , however,

4740-609: The main force behind counter terrorism operations throughout the UK. However, the SCD does have counter-terrorism in its remit, and relies on daily support from several UK agencies, including MI5 and the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism at the Home Office . Major Investigation Teams (MITs) are located throughout Scotland and are responsible for leading the investigation of all murder inquiries and large-scale and complex criminal investigations. Although each MIT will be responsible for investigating cases within its own area, where required they will be able to be deployed anywhere in

4819-417: The most significant threat to communities. Officers from Border Policing Command operate in the major airports in Scotland and undertake examinations and searches of passengers under the Terrorism Act 2000 . The Special Branch - note that "special branch" is not the official term used by Police Scotland - is a covert part of the service, which may consist of various units. The Special Branch's primary role

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4898-430: The nation, a responsibility it often delegates to mountain rescue or HM Coastguard . Special constables are unpaid volunteers who have the same police powers as their full-time counterparts when on or off duty. They must spend a minimum of 96 hours per year on duty. Although they are unpaid a "Recognition Award Scheme", remodelled in 2016, awards a payment of £1,100 to Special constables who achieve 180 hours service in

4977-479: The national standard term for a police officer trained in the use of firearms as a result of reforms in the late 1980s which were prompted by the shooting of Stephen Waldorf . The reforms also standardised the training for armed officers and the rank of an officer who could authorise the issuing of firearms. Armed officers on protection duties, such as those guarding embassies or government buildings or acting as bodyguards for government officials or royalty, were granted

5056-475: The need to consult Westminster. This was the first time in almost 500 years that Wales had its own powers to legislate. Each piece of Welsh legislation is known as an Act of Senedd Cymru . For a company to be incorporated in the United Kingdom, its application for registration with Companies House must state "whether the company's registered office is to be situated in England and Wales (or in Wales), in Scotland or in Northern Ireland", which will determine

5135-403: The new National Human Trafficking Unit (NHTU). The investigation of rape and other sexual offences is a key priority for Police Scotland. National Rape Taskforce units are located in Glasgow and Aberdeen and work alongside Divisional Rape Investigation Units. They provide a national investigative capacity and a case review function. The Prison Intelligence Unit (PIU) provides an interface for

5214-487: The number of police control rooms and call handling service centres in Scotland was under review, with the possibility of seven out of ten such offices closing. Control rooms considered for closure included Dumfries , Aberdeen and Inverness ; the Dumfries control room closed in May 2014, with the workload absorbed by existing facilities in Glasgow and Motherwell . The facilities in Glenrothes and Stirling soon followed, with all their calls and dispatching moved to

5293-500: The parliament and government of the United Kingdom . During the Roman occupation of Britain , the area of present-day England and Wales was administered as a single unit, except for the land to the north of Hadrian's Wall – though the Roman-occupied area varied in extent, and for a time extended to the Antonine/Severan Wall . At that time, most of the native inhabitants of Roman Britain spoke Brythonic languages , and were all regarded as Britons , divided into numerous tribes. After

5372-399: The rank of inspector or higher. When working at airports , nuclear sites, on protection duties and deployed in armed response vehicles in certain areas, 'standing authority' is granted to carry personal sidearms . All members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland have authority to carry a personal issue handgun as a matter of routine, both on duty and off. United Kingdom law allows

5451-407: The two Acts of Union, Parliament can restrict the effect of its laws to part of the realm, and generally the effect of laws, where restricted, was originally applied to one or more of the former kingdoms. Thus, most laws applicable to England also applied to Wales. However, Parliament now passes laws applicable to Wales and not to England (and vice versa), a practice which was rare before the middle of

5530-429: The use of "reasonable force" in order to make an arrest or prevent a crime or to defend oneself. However, if the force used is fatal, then the European Convention of Human Rights only allows "the use of force which is no more than absolutely necessary". Firearms officers may therefore only discharge their weapons "to stop an imminent threat to life". ACPO policy states that "use" of a firearm includes both pointing it at

5609-513: Was also provided to five territorial police forces, including Thames Valley Police , West Yorkshire Police , West Midlands Police , Greater Manchester Police and Strathclyde Police (now Police Scotland ), to form what was named the national Combined Response Firearms Teams (CRFT) capability for the London Olympics and Paralympic Games. The police forces received standardised training and also had standardised procedures, weaponry and equipment to enable interoperability. The CTSFO Network provides

5688-736: Was established known as the CTSFO Network . Prior to the Summer Olympics, the highest authorised firearms officer standard was the Specialist Firearms Officer (SFO). The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in preparation for the Olympics trained officers to a higher standard, including use of live rounds during close quarters combat (CQC) training and fast-roping from helicopters , to be able to respond more effectively to terrorist incidents. CTSFOs conduct training with United Kingdom Special Forces . Training

5767-542: Was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist services of the Scottish Police Services Authority , including the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency . Although not formally absorbing it, the merger also resulted in the winding down of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland . Police Scotland is the second-largest police force in

5846-531: Was made without proper consultation provoking both political and public debate. In October 2014, the policy was changed so that an ARV can only be tasked to an incident involving firearms or a threat to life. The Strategic Firearms Unit (formerly the Tactical Firearms Unit), which was inherited from Strathclyde Police , consists of Specialist Firearms Officers (SFO) and Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers (CTSFO), who form part of

5925-571: Was opened. This £73   million secure facility houses several specialist investigative and analytical departments of the police including forensic services , and is also the base for other law enforcement-related agencies such as the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service , HM Revenue and Customs and the National Crime Agency . Police Scotland was responsible for the security of the 2014 Commonwealth Games . In 2015,

6004-532: Was published in January 2012 and was approved on 27 June 2012 after scrutiny in the Scottish Parliament . The bill received royal assent as the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 . In September 2012, chief constable Stephen House of Strathclyde Police was announced as the future first chief constable of Police Scotland. He was sworn into the post on 1 October 2012. The first chair of

6083-485: Was repealed by the Welsh Language Act 1967 , although the statutory definition of "England" created by that Act still applies for laws passed before 1967. In new legislation since then, what was referred to as "England" is now "England and Wales", while subsequent references to "England" and "Wales" refer to those political divisions. There have been multiple calls from both Welsh academics and politicians for

6162-567: Was revealed that between April and December 2013, Police Scotland's officers stopped and searched members of the Scottish public at a rate of 979.6 per 10,000 people, a rate three times higher than that of the Metropolitan Police and nine times higher than that of the New York Police Department . It was also revealed that the Scottish Police Authority, the body tasked with overseeing Police Scotland, had removed criticism of

6241-580: Was then united with the English crown by the Statute of Rhuddlan of 1284. This aimed to replace Welsh criminal law with English law. Welsh law continued to be used for civil cases until the annexation of Wales to England in the 16th century by the Welsh House of Tudor . The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 then consolidated the administration of all the Welsh territories and incorporated them fully into

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