UK gets paramilitary police force

[seabhcan]

The UK now has a parallel police force controlled by the Ministry of Defence:

Armed street patrols, who are not required to identify themselves as MoD officers, are questioning people queuing for boat trips on the Thames or having their photograph taken in front of Big Ben.

Officers - who are routinely armed with sub-machine guns - say they are targeting those who match "certain profiles or behaviours" to deter terrorist attacks. Their normal role is to guard military installations and to investigate crimes on the 'defence estate'. But the 3,500 officers are now able to carry out street searches after they were given extra powers under anti-terror laws. They are also regularly being called in to provide backup for regular police officers.

Operations were said to include "high-profile foot patrols in crowded places near sensitive or iconic sites" and "plain-clothes spotters sometimes deployed to direct the uniformed patrols and increase their effectiveness".

Writing in a small-circulation Whitehall journal Public Service Review this month, Insp Taylor described a patrol outside the Houses of Parliament. He said: "During the morning, several persons were stopped and searched under the Terrorism Act . . . Although there is no requirement for police to have suspicion [under the Act], the persons are usually stopped because certain profiles or behaviours have caused the officers to notice them." The Mail on Sunday can reveal that on average last year the MoD officers exercised their powers about 20 times a day.

When did Britain abandon its tradition of unarmed policing?

[fergalr]

Um... Westminster is patrolled by policemen with submachineguns.

[Thac0man]

I can see how the deployment of such forces would be desirable in certain circumstances and possible in certain areas, but I honestly think this is a way of gettting Army personal to do the polices work, hence saving money. There is an element of cross over between the police and military in many areas, but Gorden Brown very should be careful not to blur the line too much.

[Aindriu]

When did Britain abandon its tradition of unarmed policing?

Go to any airport in the UK and you will see armed police officers - compare that to Dublin airport!

There have always been armed police on the streets in the UK. Until very recently though the arms have been carried in a safe in an armed response vehicle and only brought out when required. This policy has now been reviewed and most forces have their armed response teams openly carrying arms as it saves time in deployments and acts as a visual deterrent.

[Aindriu]

I can see how the deployment of such forces would be desirable in certain circumstances and possible in certain areas, but I honestly think this is a way of gettting Army personal to do the polices work, hence saving money. There is an element of cross over between the police and military in many areas, but Gorden Brown very should be careful not to blur the line too much.

On a point of correction. MOD police are NOT Army personnel. They are just as much a police force as the City of London police and the Transport police.

[sid]

Ministry of Defence Police officers are the same as all other Police constables in the UK, they just work for the MOD rather than Hampshire or the Met. their powers and responsibilities are almost identical.

MODP have always operated in civilian areas, rather than purely MOD sites. until very recently their 'zone of resposibility' went out to about 6 miles from a military site, they operated in convunction wth the local civil police - though the local force held supremacy right up to the fence for almost all matters and over it for some - and would often be called to entirely civilian incidents (car crime, domestic violence, motoring offences, anti-social behaviour etc...) where they would act as any other constable would.

nothing new here, i think the old 6 mile lmit has been changed, but there is no change in princple.

[Libero]

Ministry of Defence Police officers are the same as all other Police constables in the UK, they just work for the MOD rather than Hampshire or the Met. their powers and responsibilities are almost identical.

Well, one force is under the Ministry of Defence, the others are under the Home Office. That's a bit of a difference in responsibility.

The force is also trained separately from the 'Home Office' forces and tends to have quite different day-to-day tasks for its personnel. All in all, it's difficult to see how the MoD force could have practices and a working culture reasonably similar to the "regular" police. They're certainly not "the same as all other Police constables in the UK" except in some narrow technical respects to do with designation and lawful police powers.

Some commentators are pretty eager to pass these coppers off as being just like the others, even when they're not. Could it be they know that ordinary Britons are OK with paramilitary forces at a military base but not on the streets in London SW1?

[code twinkle]

The UK now has a parallel police force controlled by the Ministry of Defence:

Armed street patrols, who are not required to identify themselves as MoD officers, are questioning people queuing for boat trips on the Thames or having their photograph taken in front of Big Ben.

Officers - who are routinely armed with sub-machine guns - say they are targeting those who match "certain profiles or behaviours" to deter terrorist attacks. Their normal role is to guard military installations and to investigate crimes on the 'defence estate'. But the 3,500 officers are now able to carry out street searches after they were given extra powers under anti-terror laws. They are also regularly being called in to provide backup for regular police officers.

Operations were said to include "high-profile foot patrols in crowded places near sensitive or iconic sites" and "plain-clothes spotters sometimes deployed to direct the uniformed patrols and increase their effectiveness".

Writing in a small-circulation Whitehall journal Public Service Review this month, Insp Taylor described a patrol outside the Houses of Parliament. He said: "During the morning, several persons were stopped and searched under the Terrorism Act . . . Although there is no requirement for police to have suspicion [under the Act], the persons are usually stopped because certain profiles or behaviours have caused the officers to notice them." The Mail on Sunday can reveal that on average last year the MoD officers exercised their powers about 20 times a day.

When did Britain abandon its tradition of unarmed policing?

h.o.l.y. g.o.d.

[Aindriu]

Ministry of Defence Police officers are the same as all other Police constables in the UK, they just work for the MOD rather than Hampshire or the Met. their powers and responsibilities are almost identical.

Well, one force is under the Ministry of Defence, the others are under the Home Office. That's a bit of a difference in responsibility.

The force is also trained separately from the 'Home Office' forces and tends to have quite different day-to-day tasks for its personnel. All in all, it's difficult to see how the MoD force could have practices and a working culture reasonably similar to the "regular" police. They're certainly not "the same as all other Police constables in the UK" except in some narrow technical respects to do with designation and lawful police powers.

Some commentators are pretty eager to pass these coppers off as being just like the others, even when they're not. Could it be they know that ordinary Britons are OK with paramilitary forces at a military base but not on the streets in London SW1?

I take it you haven't been to London lately (if at all)? Armed Police are EVERYWHERE in London now - especially the West End. Did you know that the British Transport Police also have an armed unit?

[code twinkle]

I can see how the deployment of such forces would be desirable in certain circumstances and possible in certain areas, but I honestly think this is a way of gettting Army personal to do the polices work, hence saving money. There is an element of cross over between the police and military in many areas, but Gorden Brown very should be careful not to blur the line too much.

On a point of correction. MOD police are NOT Army personnel. They are just as much a police force as the City of London police and the Transport police.

Not army personnel but are headed by MoD not Home Office