Authorised firearms officer
An authorised firearms officer (AFO) is a
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 FTE officers.[1] Following the November 2015 Paris attacks, the decision was made to significantly increase the numbers of armed officers, particularly in London.[2]
AFOs can be up-skilled with additional qualifications, such as
Training
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The term "authorised firearms officer" became 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 a standing authority to carry arms without the need for repeated authorisation.[3]
All police forces in the United Kingdom have an AFO selection process,[4] 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 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.[5]
Types
Specialist firearms officer
A specialist firearms officer (SFO) 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.[6][7][full citation needed]
Counter terrorist specialist firearms officer
A counter terrorist specialist firearms officer (CTSFO) is the highest AFO level in the National Police Firearms Training Curriculum (NPFTC) and was established by the
A national capability to respond to terrorist incidents such as marauding terrorist attacks (MTA) through collaboration of police forces who maintain CTSFO teams was established known as the CTSFO Network.[10][11]
History
Prior to the Summer Olympics, the highest authorised firearms officer standard was the
Training 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.[15][16][17][18] The police forces received standardised training and also had standardised procedures, weaponry and equipment to enable interoperability.[19]
CTSFO Network
The CTSFO Network provides a collective response capability to terrorist incidents from police forces with CTSFO teams through regional hubs based nationally.[8][10][11][19] 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.[9] The CTSFO Network has six regional hubs outside London including Scotland.[20][11]
In 2013, West Midlands Police CTSFOs deployed to London to support the MPS following the Murder of Lee Rigby in Operation Pegboard.[17]
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.[8] In July 2019, the National Police Chiefs' Council reported that the uplift had increased the number of CTSFOs by 63%.[21]
Use of authorised firearms officers
AFOs are used by some specialist units of police forces throughout the United Kingdom, who by nature of their role have a requirement to deploy armed police officers. Such units include the
Legal status of the use of firearms
The use of firearms by the police 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".
United Kingdom law allows the use of "reasonable force" in order to make an arrest or prevent a crime
ACPO policy states that "use" of a firearm includes both pointing it at a person and discharging it (whether
Firearms currently used by AFOs
Different police forces in the United Kingdom use different firearms. For forces in England and Wales, guidance is provided from
Metropolitan Police
Within the
- The Belmarsh Firearms Team protects trials at Woolwich Crown Court
- The Territorial Support Group has a small pool of AFOs for assisting other armed officers in the event of a major terror attack.[35]
- The Specialist Crime Directorate arms certain surveillance officers.
- Most detectives in the Flying Squad are armed.
- Special Branch deploys armed officers in its surveillance units, and in A Squad, which protects the Prime Minister and other dignitaries.
- Royalty and Diplomatic Protection, which protects members of the royal family and high level government officials, and guards royal property.
- Tasers.
- Palace of Westminster Division, which is unarmed.
- Heathrow and London Cityairports.
- Armed Response Vehiclesresponding to spontaneous and pre-planned firearms operations.
Number of firearms officers per police force
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 a lower end of 37 in North Wales Police to a higher end of 2,469 in the Metropolitan Police for example. Although 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 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
See also
References
- Waldren, Michael (2007). Armed Police: The Police Use of Firearms Since 1945. Stroud: Sutton. ISBN 9780750946377.
- ^ Shaw, Daniel. "Police use of firearms statistics England and Wales: April 2019 to March 2020" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ White, Mark (13 January 2016). "Met Police To Double Armed Officers On Patrol". Sky News. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ Waldren, p. 94.
- ^ Waldren, p. 222.
- ^ "Authorised Firearms Officer (AFO)".
- ^ Morris, Steven (2004-11-04). "By the book: how force trains its firearms unit". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
- ^ "Operations Unit - Operations Department - Devon & Cornwall Constabulary". www.devon-cornwall.police.uk. Archived from the original on 2003-12-29.
- ^ a b c "More firearms officers ready to protect the public". National Police Chiefs' Council (Press release). 19 April 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ a b c "Firearms Training - Commissioner Briefing Paper" (PDF). Police & Crime Commissioner Greater Manchester. 1 August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "NPCC Lead for Armed Policing has said he is confident in the ability of firearms officers to protect the public". National Police Chiefs' Council (Press release). 18 November 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ a b c Police Firepower (PDF) (Radio broadcast). File on 4. BBC Radio 4. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ "Minutes of the ACPO Armed Policing Working Group" (PDF). National Police Chief's Council. Association of Chief Police Officers Minutes. 24 January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
- ^ a b Vikram Dodd (29 June 2015). "Scotland Yard creates SAS-style unit to counter threat of terrorist gun attack". The Guardian.
- ISSN 1066-8098. Archived from the originalon 18 November 2015.
- ISBN 9780719808265.
- ^ "Performance Review Committee" (PDF). Thames Valley Police Authority. 2 October 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Strategic Policing and Crime Board Report" (PDF). West Midlands Police. 3 September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2017.
- ^ Magnay, Jacquelin (21 May 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: police officers across Great Britain seconded to help bolster Games security". The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- ^ OCLC 1079869509. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ Deputy Chief Constable Simon Chesterman (NPCC lead for Armed Policing) [@@ChestermanSimon] (August 3, 2016). "Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers are not just based in London, they are part of a national network" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Increases in firearms officers allows forces to carry out more armed operations to protect the public". National Police Chiefs' Council (Press release). 25 July 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
- ^ "Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency".
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 3.2.1 Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 3.6.6 Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 3.8 Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 3.8.5 Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Section 117 or Police and Criminal Evidence (Northern Ireland) Order 1989, Article 88
- ^ Criminal Law Act 1967, Section 3 or Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967, Section 3
- ^ Common Law, as cited in ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 2.3.4 Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 2.3.7 Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms, 5.6.1 Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms 3.2.4 Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ACPO (2003), Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms Chapter 3.3.1 Archived 2008-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Police Arms and Weaponry".
All the forces in the UK and Wales are also issued with the 'Firearms Guidance to Police' manual, a lengthy document detailing the legal regulation of firearms in the UK and covers the vast range of domestic legislation and international guidance on firearms use. Codes of practice are also issued by the Home Office providing comprehensive guidance on the policy and use of firearms and less lethal weapons by police.
- ^ Admin, D. P. F. (2016-06-13). "Met to train riot police as back-up gun squad in case of terror attack". Defence Police Federation. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
- ^ Gov.uk. Police use of firearm statistics April 2020-March 2021. [1]. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ^ Scotland.police.uk. Armed policing quarterly report q1 2021-22. [2] Retrieved 12 April 2022.