The Operational Support Unit (OSU) is the Ministry of Defence Police

Ministry of Defence Police

The Ministry of Defence Police is a civilian police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The force is part of the larger government agency, the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency , together with the Ministry of Defence Guard Service...

's centrally managed, multi-capability, national response unit. It may be deployed anywhere in the UK at short notice. The MDP has two Operational Support Units. They are the force's strategic, specialist policing reserve providing a flexible, mobile response.

Locations

The MDP has two Operational Support Units, sited strategically to cover the North and South of the UK. Although both based in England, the OSUs also work in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

• OSU South - Based at Wethersfield in Essex (Co-located with Agency HQ)
• OSU North - Based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse
  RAF Linton-on-Ouse
  RAF Linton-on-Ouse is a Royal Air Force station at Linton-on-Ouse near York in Yorkshire, England. It is currently a major flying training centre, one of the RAF's busiest airfields...
  
  

Role

The OSUs have a number of specialisms:

Public Order

All OSU officers are trained to level one standard for policing public order incidents.

Specialist Firearms Support

As 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...

s, OSU officers can address a wide range of incidents that may occur on the Defence estate.

CBRN Response (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear)

The OSU is able to respond to CBRN incidents.