Diplomatic Protection Group
Encyclopedia
The Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG) is a Specialist Operations
Specialist Operations
Specialist Operations is a directorate of the Metropolitan Police. At its peak, SO was a group of twenty specialist units, which were formed to give the Metropolitan Police a specialist policing capability. The SO designation was implemented in 1986 as part of Sir Kenneth Newman's restructuring of...

 branch of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

's Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...

. The unit's main purpose is to provide specialist protection for diplomatic residencies in London, such as embassies, high commissions and consular sections. The group also provides protection and support to members of the Diplomatic Community, as well as members of HM Government. As of 2008, it is headed by Chief Superintendent
Chief Superintendent
Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces organised on the British model.- United Kingdom :In the British police, a chief superintendent is senior to a superintendent and junior to an assistant chief constable .The highest rank below Chief Officer level, chief...

 Christine Jones.

History

The Diplomatic Protection Group was formed in the mid-1970s and its purpose was to establish a stand-alone Police Group with primary responsibility for all Diplomatic Premises within Central London and provide peripheral protection to Royalty, Royal Palaces and senior Government figures (at State and Diplomatic Functions, State Visits etc.).
The first DPG base opened in Kensington, the second, two months later in Chelsea and a third, a further two months later in Central London (Beak Street).
The Group had no connection with local Police Divisions and was a Branch of Scotland Yard titled, 'Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department' (RDPD).
The Group was manned by volunteer uniformed Police Officers drawn from all Divisions of the Metropolitan Police, but there were some 'pressed men'. These 'pressed men' represented those police officers who had provided the diplomatic protection prior to the formation of the Group. Believing they had at last, escaped these unpopular protection duties, they were not too happy to find they had been 'pressed' (transferred) from their 'home' Divisions into the RDPD.
Not all volunteer RDPD officers, at this time, were required to be Authorised Shots (Authorised Firearms Officer).

Role

The Diplomatic Protection Group are responsible for providing static security on sensitive premises, such as foreign embassies
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...

, high commissions, and other diplomatic premises. The DPG is also responsible for security at 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....

, New Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...

, and certain private residencies of diplomats, politicians, and some senior military staff. They also have a responsibility of providing static guards to hospitals, if a person is deemed to be under threat, along with the guarding of some high risk prisoners. Over the last few years the command has diversified its responsibilities to provide VPOs (Venue Protection Officers) who are trained in Close Protection techniques and must undergo selection and 3 weeks additional training with both CO19 and SO1 Specialist Protection Command. These Officers bolster existing close protection team numbers for VIP's and diginitaries and the places they visit. In addition to these responsibilities, SO6 also have a Sniper team who must pass selections with both SO6 and CO19 separately before attending and passing the 6 week full National Sniper course to earn the right to wear the 'Crossed Rifles' emblem. They provide support to MPS wide deployments, CO19 requests, and ceremonial events. The Command also has a dedicated counter-reconnaissance team whose work is understandably secretive as it has close ties to the security services. Selection to this unit is tough, as is the SCD11 Advanced level Surveillance course that must be passed to join. On any given operational day, the Command will deploy several ARV's (Armed Response Vehicles) as well as multiple armed response BMW K1200RT(P) motorcycles and armed proactive patrol vehicles in support of both static Officers and calls of assistance from the diplomatic community.

, the DPG is known to operate 40 fixed posts and guard 160 diplomatic missions. It is also the biggest specialised armed unit within the United Kingdom, with eight hundred police officers.

Due to many of the premises the DPG guard being classed as "high risk" status, officers operationally deployed are routinely armed. The DPG also assist the Firearms Unit
Specialist Firearms Command
Central Operations Specialist Firearms Command is a Central Operations branch within Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Command is responsible for providing a firearms-response capability, assisting the rest of the service, which is normally unarmed...

, when additional support is needed.

The DPG is negatively known amongst some circles as 'Doors, Posts and Gates' on account of their static site duties. This is however a rapidly evolving command and is moving more towards proactive counter terrorist policing activities.

History and notable incidents

When the Diplomatic Protection Group was formed it was a branch of a division
Police division
A division was the usual term for the largest territorial subdivision of most British police forces. In major reforms of police organisation in the 1990s divisions of many forces were restructured and retitled Basic Command Units , although some forces continue to refer to them as divisions.The...

 which policed Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...

, due to most diplomatic premises being within the area. The DPG was created, mainly to replace the Special Patrol Group
Special Patrol Group
The Special Patrol Group was a unit of Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for providing a centrally-based mobile capability for combating serious public disorder and crime that could not be dealt with by local divisions....

s duties, which included the protection of premises.

During the Iranian Embassy Siege
Iranian Embassy Siege
The Iranian Embassy siege took place from 30 April to 5 May 1980, after a group of six armed men stormed the Iranian embassy in South Kensington, London. The gunmen took 26 people hostage—mostly embassy staff, but several visitors and a police officer, who had been guarding the embassy, were also...

 in 1980, Police Constable Trevor Lock was on protection duty. He was taken hostage, along with the embassy staff, and managed to conceal his firearm until the assault by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

's Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...

, when he then restrained the terrorist leader.

Other incidents where DPG officers have used firearms, include: when PC Peter Slimon GM
George Medal
The George Medal is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI. At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage...

 visited a bank to draw money out while on his lunch break, he found that a bank robbery was in progress, and fatally wounded one, and injured two robbers. In the same incident,PS Stephen Peet responded, and shot the third robber. PC Gordon McKinnon was authorised to free a hostage in Trafalgar Square, and did so. More recently the Hackney siege and Markham Square incidents have involved SO6 Officers.

Firearms and equipment

All DPG officers actively guarding premises are armed, making each and every one an Authorised Firearms Officer
Authorised Firearms Officer
An Authorised Firearms Officer is a British police officer who has received training and authorisation to carry and use firearms. The designation is significant because within the United Kingdom, police officers do not routinely carry firearms...

. In cases where the Specialist Firearms Command
Specialist Firearms Command
Central Operations Specialist Firearms Command is a Central Operations branch within Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service. The Command is responsible for providing a firearms-response capability, assisting the rest of the service, which is normally unarmed...

 requests additional armed support, available DPG officers supplement the firearms unit.

DPG officers are trained on Home Office approved, standard police weaponry:
  • Glock 17 pistol
  • Heckler & Koch MP5 SF A2 / A3
    Heckler & Koch MP5
    The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....

     Semi-automatic carbine
  • Heckler & Koch 69, L104A1 Baton Gun
    Heckler & Koch HK69A1
    The HK69A1 is a 40 mm grenade launcher developed and produced by the German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch . The weapon was designed to engage enemy troops and strongpoints out to a distance of 350 m; it can also be used to deploy smoke grenades and illumination flares.-Development:The launcher’s...

     (fires Rubber projectile
    Rubber bullet
    Rubber bullets are rubber or rubber-coated projectiles that can be fired from either standard firearms or dedicated riot guns. They are intended to be a non-lethal alternative to metal projectiles...

    )
  • Taser International
    TASER International
    Taser International, Inc. is a developer, manufacturer, and distributor of the Taser less-lethal electroshock guns in the United States. It is based at Scottsdale, Arizona, United States. Taser is the most common brand of electroshock gun.-History:...

     X26 Taser
    Taser
    A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...

  • Heckler & Koch G36 5.56mm Semi Automatic Assault Rifle
    Heckler & Koch G36
    The Heckler & Koch G36 is a 5.56×45mm assault rifle, designed in the early 1990s by Heckler & Koch in Germany as a replacement for the 7.62mm G3 battle rifle. It was accepted into service with the Bundeswehr in 1997, replacing the G3...

  • Accuracy International L96 .308 Sniper Rifle
    Accuracy International Arctic Warfare
    The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a family of bolt-action sniper rifles designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International...


External links

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