The police would employ the Gold Silver Bronze command structure, with a Gold Commander being a senior officer overseeing events from a nearby police station, the Silver Commander who would oversee events from the on-scene control room, and the Bronze Commander who would be as close to the incident as possible. A revolver could only be issued if, in the opinion of the senior officer, the officer could be trusted to use it safely and with discretion. We all wish that relatives did not need to face and mourn the deaths of those who are shot by police While Rowley acknowledged that police must be held to the highest standards, he said current rules are cumbersome and leave officers at risk of prosecution even when they follow their training. Armed Police' 'Inside the Met's Firearms Unit' was published by Hale Publishing Ltd, it covered the early years of armed policing from 1966 right up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Equipment of SCO19 is varied and of a prime quality given the nature of the unit and its increased responsibilities. But that only fueled the concerns of some campaigners who said there is already a “lack of accountability” in the police force. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).A deliberate action plan would be devised, briefing each member of the assault team on the entry points, and details of the assault. They may also fire if an offender is clearly in possession of a firearm, or is suspected to be carrying one.

We are in ongoing discussions with those officers to support them and to fully understand the genuinely held concerns that they have. However, if Operation Kratos contingency plans are activated, an armed officer may shoot at the target's head, to kill, as a standard incapacitating shot risks detonating a bomb attached to the person. The Metropolitan Police firearms unit has had a series of name changes, due to continuous changes in departmental units. The "baton gun" is authorised for use in situations where an offender needs to be incapacitated, without resorting to the use of conventional firearms.

The police proverb 'better to be judged by twelve men than carried in a coffin by six' is no doubt true; but it is also vital that senior police officers exercise strong, wise and thoroughly engaged leadership and supervision of these firearms teams who have to carry out their duty in such extraordinary situations. So, as someone who has always had a massive appetite for history, including social, military and personal histories, it was easy for me to look back over my own career and realise I had actually been living through some pretty interesting times myself. As I say, this is really symptomatic of a wider discontent that officers feel that they’re misunderstood and unappreciated.