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90-673: Police Scotland is the second-largest police force in 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

180-399: 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

270-675: 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

360-458: A Sikh officer whose beard was cut. The report also found that officers of minority ethnic backgrounds were more likely to be disciplined and leave the force. The report was criticised by the charity Galop for not investigating transphobia. Five former officers admitted in court in 2023 to sending racist messages, the targets of which included the Duchess of Sussex , and a sixth was convicted after

450-658: 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

540-524: A higher volume of protests and events than any other British police force , with 3,500 such events in 2016. The force, by officer numbers, ranks as the largest police force within the United Kingdom and among the largest globally. Excluding its national roles, the Met oversees the eighth-smallest primary geographic area ( police area ) compared to other territorial police forces in the UK. The force operates under

630-400: A report by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services said that the Met was rated inadequate or failing regarding crime investigations and managing offenders. It was rated as requiring improvement in five other areas, and as adequate in one. In September 2024, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services issued a report regarding

720-410: A service life of three to five years; the Met replaces or upgrades between 800 and 1,000 vehicles each year. Vehicles were initially maintained and repaired on contract by Babcock International ; from November 2023, the contract for 3,700 of the Met's 5,200 vehicles was undertaken by Rivus Fleet Solutions for a ten-year period. Rivus fell into administration on 21 June 2024, with a deal being agreed by

810-681: 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 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

900-463: 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

990-485: A statement in response stating, "As the UK's investigative authority for war crimes, counter-terrorism policing – through the Met's war crimes team – has a responsibility to support ICC investigations. The ICC opened an investigation in 2019 into alleged war crimes in Israel and Palestine." The spokesman added that "under the terms of the 1998 Rome Statute, our war crimes team is obliged to support any investigations opened by

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1080-1046: 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

1170-514: A trial. All six were given suspended jail sentences . On 1 January 2024 the Metropolitan Police were criticised by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson for allegedly demonstrating political bias and double standards in their handling of pro-Hamas demonstrations, and their efforts to support an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes following Israel's response to terror attacks committed by Hamas on 7 October. The Met released

1260-519: A unique identification number which includes a two-letter BCU (Basic Command Unit) code. Following controversy over assaults by uniformed officers with concealed shoulder identification numbers during the G20 summit , Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said, "the public has a right to be able to identify any uniformed officer whilst performing their duty" by their shoulder identification numbers. The Met uniformed officer rank structure, with epaulette design,

1350-610: Is also policed by the Ministry of Defence Police , British Transport Police , and 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

1440-494: Is as follows (from highest to lowest): The Met also has several active Volunteer Police Cadet units, which maintain their own internal rank structure. The Metropolitan Special Constabulary is a contingent of part-time volunteer police officers and is attached to most Borough Operational Command Units. The Metropolitan Special Constabulary Ranks are as follows (from lowest to highest): The prefix "woman" in front of female officers' ranks has been obsolete since 1999. Members of

1530-537: Is asked to cast 2 votes, resulting in MSPs being elected in one of two ways: With the additional members system, there are 3 ways in which a person can stand to be a MSP: A candidate may stand both in a constituency and on a regional list. Constituency seats are decided first. Candidates who succeed in being elected to a constituency seat will then have their name removed from the regional list process. All MSP positions become simultaneously vacant for elections held on

1620-912: 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

1710-515: Is organised into the following directorates: Each is overseen by an assistant commissioner or, in the case of administrative departments, a director of police staff , which is the equivalent civilian staff grade. The management board is made up of the commissioner, deputy commissioner, assistant commissioners and directors. The Metropolitan Police Service uses the standard British police ranks, indicated by epaulettes, up to chief superintendent , but uniquely has five ranks above that level instead of

1800-739: Is scrutinised by the Police and Crime Committee (also known as a police and crime panel ) of the London Assembly . These structures were created by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and replaced the Metropolitan Police Authority -appointed board created in 2000 by Greater London Authority Act 1999 . Before 2000, the Metropolitan Police was under the authority of the Home Secretary ,

1890-399: 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

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1980-493: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) up to and including the rank of chief superintendent prefix their ranks with "detective". Detective ranks are equivalent in rank to their uniform counterparts. Other departments, such as Special Branch and Child Protection, award non-detectives "branch detective" status, allowing them to use the "Detective" prefix. None of these detective ranks confer on

2070-703: 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, 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

2160-549: The Hampstead Heath Constabulary . All of these enjoy powers of arrest without warrant as constables; however, the officers of the last mentioned have full police powers, much like officers of the Metropolitan Police, on the heath, whereas the other parks' police primarily focus on by-law enforcement. Metropolitan Police officers have legal jurisdiction throughout all of England and Wales , including areas that have their own special police forces, such as

2250-569: 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 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

2340-511: The Metropolitan Police , is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and crime prevention within Greater London . In addition, it is responsible for specialised tasks throughout the United Kingdom, such as dealing with counter-terrorism throughout the UK , and the protection of certain individuals, including the monarch , royal family , governmental officials , and other designated figures. Commonly referred to as

2430-613: The Metropolitan Police Act 1829 and on 29 September of that year, the first constables of the service appeared on the streets of London. Ten years later, Metropolitan Police Act 1839 consolidated policing within London by expanding the Metropolitan Police District and either abolishing or amalgamating the various other law enforcement entities within London into the Metropolitan Police such as

2520-883: The Royal Parks Constabulary , which patrolled a number of Greater London's major parks, was merged with the Metropolitan Police in 2004, and those parks are now policed by the Royal Parks Operational Command Unit . There is also a small park police force, the Kew Constabulary , responsible for the Royal Botanic Gardens , whose officers have full police powers within the park. A few local authorities maintain their own borough park constabularies, including Wandsworth Parks and Events Police , Kensington and Chelsea Parks Police , Havering Parks Constabulary and

2610-594: The Thames River Police and the Bow Street Runners . Since January 2012, the Mayor of London is responsible for the governance of the Metropolitan Police through the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). The mayor is able to appoint someone to act on his behalf. As of April 2019 , the office-holder is the deputy mayor for policing and crime, Sophie Linden . The work of MOPAC

2700-593: 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

2790-519: The ' jam sandwich ', which was first introduced in 1978 with the delivery of high-performance Rover SD1 traffic cars. Originally, marked vehicles were finished in base white paint; this was changed to silver from 2002 to help improve a vehicle's resale value when it was retired from police use. The National Police Air Service provides helicopter support to the Met. A marine policing unit operates 22 vessels from its base in Wapping . Funding for

Police Scotland - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-647: 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

2970-527: The Commissioners were also non-warranted right up until 2011), but they now include police community support officers (PCSOs ), designated detention officers (DDOs), and many other non-officer roles. Their numbers are currently: As of 2023 , the Met operates and maintains a fleet of around 5,200 vehicles. In 2018, the fleet covered 46,777,720 miles (75,281,440 km). The fleet comprises numerous vehicles, including: The majority of vehicles have

3060-626: 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

3150-623: 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 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

3240-513: 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

3330-455: The ICC that could involve British subjects" and said the posters were put up to meet that obligation. In April 2024, the Met settled a claim for misfeasance in a public office and false imprisonment by agreeing to pay a five-figure sum as damages to a French publisher who had been arrested and detained under anti-terrorism laws while he was on his way to a book fair in London. In August 2024,

3420-674: The Met , it is also referred to as Scotland Yard or the Yard , after the location of its original headquarters in Great Scotland Yard , Whitehall in the 19th century. The Met is presently headquartered at New Scotland Yard , on the Victoria Embankment . The main geographical area covered by the Met, the Metropolitan Police District , consists of the 32 London boroughs , and excludes

3510-465: The Met had received such allegations from Samantha Ramsay, who is now deceased. The BBC reported that "Samantha’s family say the Met dismissed her claims. They believe that multiple women could have been saved from sexual abuse if the force had acted." The Met claimed that there was no history of Samantha's allegations on their computer system, "but that in 1995 some reports were paper-based and might not have been transferred." Ramsay's sister, Emma, recalled

3600-449: The Met has attempted to save money due to cuts in funding. The MPD is now divided into 12 Basic Command Units (BCUs) made up of two, three or four boroughs. There is criticism of these changes. The City of London (which is not a London borough) is a separate police area and is the responsibility of the separate City of London Police . The Ministry of Defence Police is responsible for policing of Ministry of Defence property throughout

3690-505: The Met, with the assistance of any relevant specialist force, even if they are committed on Ministry of Defence or railway property. A minor incursion into the normal jurisdiction of territorial police officers in England and Wales is that Met officers involved in the protection duties of the Royal Family and other VIPs have full police powers in Scotland and Northern Ireland in connection with those duties. The Metropolitan Police Service

Police Scotland - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-438: The Metropolitan Police has been cut due to austerity . Changes in the way the government pays for police pensions will lead to further cuts. Its expenditure for single years, not adjusted for inflation, has been: In addition to the headquarters at New Scotland Yard, there are many police stations in London. These range from large borough headquarters staffed around the clock every day to smaller stations, which may be open to

3870-414: The Metropolitan Police to buy back its maintenance operations, saving 165 jobs. By 2012, the Met was marking all new marked vehicles with Battenburg markings , a highly reflective material on the side of the vehicles, chequered blue and yellow green for the police, and in other colours for other services. The old livery was an orange stripe through the vehicle, with the force's logo, known colloquially as

3960-593: The Met’s handling of the pro-Palestinian protests, saying that the Met had been largely impartial. The report criticised the then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the then Home Secretary Suella Braverman for suggesting otherwise. In November 2024, it was found that the Metropolitan Police were told about allegations of sexual assault against Mohamed Al-Fayed , the late businessman and owner of Harrods, ten years earlier than it had acknowledged. The Met had claimed that it first received such allegations in 2005. However, in 1995,

4050-517: The Ministry of Defence, as do all police officers of territorial police forces . Officers also have limited powers in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Within the MPD, the Met will take over the investigation of any serious crime from the Ministry of Defence Police and to a lesser degree BTP, if it is deemed appropriate. Terrorist incidents and complex murder enquiries will almost always be investigated by

4140-527: 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

4230-574: The Office of Constable. *include temporary constables from war period ^includes 753 officers policing Woolwich Arsenal and Her Majesty's Dockyards in Chatham , Portsmouth , Pembroke , Devonport and Rosyth . The Met's Police Staff are non-warranted civilians. When the Met was formed in 1829 there were only six of them (the Receiver , his two clerks and the three Commissioners' clerks, although

4320-572: The Prime Minister, and for counter-terrorism . After a consultation process, 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

4410-1292: The Scottish Parliament King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee Charles III William , Duke of Rothesay Swinney government The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP Kate Forbes MSP Sixth session Alison Johnstone MSP Angela Constance MSP Dorothy Bain KC The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections Local elections Referendums Starmer ministry The Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP The Rt Hon Ian Murray MP Member of

4500-655: The Scottish Parliament ( MSP ; Scottish Gaelic : Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA ; Scots : Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP ) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament . The additional member system produces a form of proportional representation , where each constituency has its own representative, and each region has seats given to political parties to reflect as closely as possible its level of support among voters. Each registered voter

4590-639: 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

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4680-614: The Specialist Crime and Operational Support Divisions e.g. Dog Unit and Roads Policing. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic , at the request of Police Scotland, Special Constables with the organisation increased their hours. Completing more than 90,000 duty hours from the months of March 2020 to April 2021, with A & D Division's each volunteering over 10,000 hours. Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service ( MPS ), formerly and still commonly known as

4770-746: The United Kingdom, including its headquarters in Whitehall and other MoD establishments across the MPD. The British Transport Police (BTP) are responsible for policing of the rail network in Great Britain , including London. Within London, they are also responsible for the policing of the London Underground , London Trams , the London Cable Car and the Docklands Light Railway . The English part of

4860-488: 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 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

4950-453: The control room for Ayrshire and Renfrewshire , moved to the regional communications facility in Govan . In October 2013, it was announced that 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 ;

5040-465: 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

5130-633: 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

5220-404: The day they were reported in 2017 and did not investigate them further. This compares to 13,019 the previous year. 18,093 crimes were closed in 24 hours during the first 5 months of 2018 making it likely that the 2017 total will be exceeded. Crimes not being investigated include sexual assaults and arson, burglaries, thefts and assaults. Some critics believe this shows the effect of austerity on

5310-614: 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

5400-545: 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

5490-425: The force's ability to carry out its responsibilities. The Met was controversial even before its formation in 1829. Since the 1970s, such controversies have often centred on institutional racism and institutional sexism within the organisation, along with the right to protest, failures in investigations, and officers belonging to proscribed organisations. In 2023, a report on the Metropolitan Police found that

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5580-410: The force's chief financial officer, it was headed by a civilian secretary, who was equivalent in rank to the assistant commissioners. The area policed by the Metropolitan Police Service is known as the Metropolitan Police District (MPD). The Met was divided into 32 Borough Operational Command Units that directly aligned with the 32 London boroughs covered. This situation has changed since 2017, as

5670-559: 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

5760-434: 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

5850-407: 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 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

5940-451: 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

6030-464: The holder any extra pay or supervisory authority compared to their uniformed colleagues. The following is the current released workforce data for the ranks. The chief officers rank covers all senior ranks as well as special constables covering all special constable ranks. A roundel azure, thereon the Royal Cypher of His Majesty King Charles the Third argent within a circlet azure fimbriated and inscribed with words 'Metropolitan Police' in letters argent,

6120-449: The leadership of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis , directly accountable to the Mayor of London , through the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime and the Home Office. The post of commissioner was first held jointly by Sir Charles Rowan and Sir Richard Mayne , with Sir Mark Rowley currently holding the position since July 2022. The Metropolitan Police Service was founded in 1829 by Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel under

6210-609: 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

6300-415: 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

6390-429: 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

6480-400: 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

6570-619: The oldest operational police stations in London is in Wapping , which opened in 1908. It is the headquarters of the marine policing unit (formerly known as Thames Division), which is responsible for policing the River Thames . It also houses a mortuary and the River Police Museum. Paddington Green Police Station , which is no longer operational, received much publicity for its housing of terrorism suspects in an underground complex prior to its closure in 2017. In 2004, there

6660-461: The only British territorial police force to be administered by central government . The Metropolitan Police Office (MPO), although based at Scotland Yard, was a department of the Home Office created in 1829 and was responsible for the force's day-to-day administration. Under the authority of the receiver , a civilian official who was equivalent in rank to the deputy commissioner and served as

6750-441: The organisation was rife with racism, misogyny, and homophobia, and was corrupt. A 363-page report written by Louise Casey, Baroness Casey of Blackstock was commissioned after the abduction of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens, a police constable. The report stated that 12% of female Met employees had been harassed or attacked, with 33% experiencing sexism. Other incidents include a Muslim officer who had bacon stuffed into his boots and

6840-517: The police as having said at the time: Emma recalls that the police told Samantha: “We’ve added it to a pile of other female names that we’ve got that have made the same complaint against Mohamed Al Fayed.” On 8 November, the Independent Office for Police Conduct announced that they would be investigating the Met over their handling of allegations of sexual misconduct related to the case. Other London emergency services: Member of

6930-446: 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 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

7020-585: 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 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

7110-537: The public only during normal business hours, or on certain days of the week. In 2017, there were 73 working front counters open to the public in London. Most police stations can easily be identified from one or more blue lamps located outside the entrance, which were introduced in 1861. The oldest Metropolitan police station, which opened in Bow Street in 1881, closed in 1992 and the adjoining Bow Street Magistrates' Court heard its last case on 14 July 2006. One of

7200-712: 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 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

7290-442: The same rank structure and insignia as other police forces in the United Kingdom. Local policing in Scotland 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

7380-524: The square mile of the City of London – a largely non-residential and financial district, overseen by the City of London Police . As the force responsible for the majority of UK's capital, the Met has significant responsibilities and unique challenges, such as protecting 164 foreign embassies and High Commissions , policing London City and Heathrow airports, protecting the Palace of Westminster , and managing

7470-570: The standard three: commander, deputy assistant commissioner, assistant commissioner, deputy commissioner and commissioner. All senior officers of the rank of Commander and above are chief police officers of NPCC (previously ACPO ) rank. The Met approved the use of name badges in October 2003, with new recruits wearing the Velcro badges from September 2004. The badge consists of the wearer's rank, followed by their surname. All officers are assigned

7560-507: 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 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

7650-622: The whole upon a star of eight major and fifty-six lesser points argent, ensigned by the Royal Crown proper. The Metropolitan Police Service includes full-time, paid officers known as 'regulars', and part-time, voluntary officers from the Metropolitan Special Constabulary . Both regulars and specials enjoy full police powers, wear the same uniform, and carry the same kit. As elsewhere in the UK, 'regulars' are not employees, but rather Crown servants , and holders of

7740-515: Was a call from the Institute for Public Policy Research for more imaginative planning of police stations to aid in improving relations between police forces and the wider community. Crimes reported within the Metropolitan Police District , selected by quarter centuries. The following table shows the percentage detection rates for the Metropolitan Police by offence group for 2010/11. The Metropolitan Police Service "screened out" 34,164 crimes

7830-566: 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 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

7920-528: 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

8010-646: 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 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

8100-677: 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, 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

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