imported>MaybeItsBecauseImALondoner: /* Royalty and Specialist Protection */

2024-07-18T12:00:15Z

Royalty and Specialist Protection

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{{Short description|Command within London's Metropolitan Police}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
The '''Protection Command''' is one of the commands within the [[Specialist Operations]] directorate of [[London]]'s [[Metropolitan Police Service]].<ref name="mps">{{cite web |url=http://content.met.police.uk/Site/protectioncommand |title=Specialist Operations |work=[[Metropolitan Police Service]] |access-date=8 June 2009}}</ref> The command specialises in [[protective security]] and has two branches: Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP), providing protection to the [[British royal family|royal family]] and [[close protection]] to [[United Kingdom Government|government officials]], and [[Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection]] (PaDP), providing uniformed security to government buildings, officials and diplomats.<ref>[http://content.met.police.uk/Site/protectioncommand Protection Command], Metropolitan Police Service. Retrieved 26 February 2016.</ref> In contrast with the vast majority of British police officers, many members of the Protection Command routinely carry firearms in the course of their duties and all are [[authorised firearms officer]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.global-defence.com/2003/police_03.htm |title=Metropolitan Police Force's Firearms Unit |work=Global-defence.com |access-date=8 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708234122/http://www.global-defence.com/2003/police_03.htm |archive-date=8 July 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.met.police.uk/foi/pdfs/policies/police_use_of_firearm_policy_october2015.pdf |title=Police Use of Firearms Policy |work=[[Metropolitan Police Service]] |date=December 2013 |access-date=23 October 2015}}</ref>

== Branches ==
[[File:Behind bars (3414375371).jpg|thumb|[[Authorised firearms officer|Armed officers]] behind the security gates at [[Downing Street]] in London]]
In April 2015, the branches of Protection Command and elements of Security Command were merged into two distinct branches under the control of Protection Command: Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP; a merger of Royalty Protection and Specialist Protection) and Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP; a merger of the Diplomatic Protection Group and the Palace of Westminster Division of Security Command).

=== Royalty and Specialist Protection ===
The Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) was formed following a merger of the Royalty Protection Command (SO14) with the Specialist Protection Command (SO1) in April 2015.

The department has three service areas:

# [[Bodyguard|Close protection]] for members of the Royal Family, government ministers (which includes the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]) and visiting heads of state.
# The [[Special Escort Group (Metropolitan Police)|Special Escort Group]] (SEG) who provide mobile armed protection to members of the royal family and government ministers
# [[Authorised firearms officer|Armed security]] at royal residences in London, Windsor and Scotland.

Prior to 1978, when the ''Royalty Protection Branch'' was formed as a separate non-divisional specialist unit, royalty protection officers were attached for administrative purposes to "A" [[police division|Division]], although they fell within [[Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis#Lettered departments|"A" Department]] at New Scotland Yard.

=== Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection ===
[[Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection]] (PaDP) was formed following a merger of the Diplomatic Protection Group (SO6) with the [[Palace of Westminster]] Division (SO17) in April 2015.

PaDP provide armed and unarmed 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 the command in which Police Constable [[Keith Palmer (police officer)|Keith Palmer]], who was killed in an [[2017 Westminster attack|attack at Westminster in 2017]], worked,<ref>{{cite news |title=London attack: What we know so far |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39355108 |date=22 March 2017 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |access-date=23 March 2017}}</ref> as did convicted kidnapper, murderer and rapist [[Wayne Couzens]] who used his status as a Police Officer to deceive his victim [[murder of Sarah Everard|Sarah Everard]] by falsely arresting her.

== See also ==
* [[List of protective service agencies]]
* [[Counter Terrorism Command]]
* [[Territorial Support Group]]
* [[United States Secret Service]]
* [[Fixated Threat Assessment Centre]]
* [[Special Protection Group]] (India)
* [[Federal Protective Service (United States)]]
* [[Federal Protective Service (Russia)]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://content.met.police.uk/Site/protectioncommand Official Webpage]

{{Metropolitan Police}}

[[Category:Metropolitan Police units]]
[[Category:Protective security units]]

Protection Command - Revision history

imported>MaybeItsBecauseImALondoner: /* Royalty and Specialist Protection */