The
Territorial Support Group (
TSG or
CO20) is a
Central OperationsCentral Operations is a major directorate of the London Metropolitan Police Service that provides operational support to the rest of the service...
unit of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
's
Metropolitan Police ServiceThe Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for policing within Greater London, excluding the 'square mile' of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police....
(MPS) consisting of 720 officers, that specialises in public order containment among other specialist policing. The TSG is a uniformed unit of the MPS that replaced the controversial
Special Patrol GroupThe Special Patrol Group was a unit of Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for providing a centrally-based mobile capability for combatting serious public disorder and crime that could not be dealt with by local divisions....
in 1987 . TSG units patrol the streets of the capital in marked
police vanA police van is a type of vehicle operated by police forces. Police vans are usually employed for the transportation of prisoners inside a specially adapted cell in the vehicle, or for the rapid transportation of a number of officers to an incident.- History :Early police vans were in the form of...
s; officers can be identified as TSG from the distinctive 'U' in their
shoulder numberA collar number, also known as a shoulder number, Force Identification Number or occasionally as Force Number identifies uniformed officers, Police Community Support Officers , and some police staff in UK police forces. Although now displayed on epaulettes A collar number, also known as a...
s.
Role
Today the TSG has three main tasks in the policing of the
Metropolitan Police DistrictThe Metropolitan Police District is the area policed by London's Metropolitan Police Service. It currently consists of Greater London, excluding the City of London.-History:...
:
- Securing the capital against terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.At present, there is no internationally agreed definition of terrorism...
.
- Responding to disorder anywhere within London.
- Reducing priority crime through borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
support.
Public Order
Although public order is not the TSG's only role, it is certainly their most visible and well-known. Like most Police Support Unit vehicles, TSG vans are equipped with mesh window shields and officers are equipped with
acrylic glassPoly poly is a transparent thermoplastic. Chemically, it is the synthetic polymer of methyl methacrylate...
riot shieldRiot shields are lightweight protection devices deployed by police and some military organizations. Most are a clear polycarbonate, though some are constructed of light metals with a view hole. Riot shields are almost exclusively long enough to cover an average sized man from the top of the head to...
s, visored
'NATO' helmetsA riot protection helmet is a type of helmet designed for law enforcement and military use to protect its wearer's head, face and eyes from handheld melee weapons, and thrown projectiles such as bricks, as may be met in riot control...
, shin and elbow guards, along with fireproof coveralls when required. This level of protection allows them to deal with many violent situations, including
riotA riot is a form of civil disorder characterized by disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against people or property. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are typically chaotic and exhibit herd behavior.Riots often occur in reaction to a...
s, football violence and suspects armed with a variety of weapons. TSG officers are trained to a higher standard of operational readiness in their public order role than most other Police Support Units outside London; TSG training is refreshed every five weeks as a matter of routine. Exercises are conducted predominantly at the MPS Specialist Training Centre in
Gravesend, KentGravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
, though other sites are used as required, and encompass all public order scenarios; officers will undergo extensive riot training including being petrol bombed in large scale engagements, prison clearance tactics, football
stadiumA modern stadium is a place, or venue, for outdoor sports, concerts or other events, consisting of a field or stage partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.-History of the stadium:The word originates from the Greek word...
scenarios, night club scenarios, aircraft, rail and various 'angry-man' scenarios, as well as additional specialist training. TSG units spend considerable time training with other specialist police teams as well as certain
militaryA military is an organization authorized by its nation to use force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. As an adjective the term "military" is also used to refer to any property or aspect of a military...
units. Also, if a siege situation is present, but firearms are not involved. TSG will often be deployed to counter such threats.
Borough support
TSG provides support to regular divisional officers through high-visibility patrols, surveillance and decoy operations while also providing a presence on the streets.
BoroughThe administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
s are also supported through the provision of a 'Commissioner's Reserve' a section of TSG that is on standby all year round; it is designed so such a unit is always available to respond anywhere within the Metropolis to quell public order problems, from a bar brawl to large scale public disorder. Day to day TSG assist the boroughs in handling and relocating particularly violent prisoners.
Terrorism response
TSG is equipped and trained to deal with the aftermath or evacuation during or after a terrorism emergency in London, the unit includes a
CBRNFor the cyanogen bromide molecular formula, follow CBrN------CBRN is an acronym for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear. It is in common use worldwide, to refer to incidents or weapons in which any of these four hazards have presented themselves...
(Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) trained team. Working closely with SO15 (the Metropolitan Police
Counter Terrorism CommandCounter Terrorism Command or SO15 is a Specialist Operations branch within London's Metropolitan Police Service. Counter Terrorism Command was established as a result of the merging of the Anti-Terrorist Branch , and the Special Branch in 2006, to form a single counter-terrorism investigative unit...
) TSG also has counter-terrorism responsibilities.
Recruitment
Potential TSG candidates are selected from mainstream divisional officers. Officers are selected on merit and much emphasis is placed upon their personal policing ability, motivation, resilience and good communication skills. Fitness and stamina are also seen as essential attributes of TSG personnel. Applicants must be recommended by a senior officer (minimum rank of Inspector) whilst on division.
Equipment
Mercedes Sprinters are the standard vehicle of TSG and each van transports six Constables and a Sergeant. Three of these vans can form an operational Serial ready to respond to incidents; following the national PSU model this would include an Inspector, three Sergeants, eighteen Constables, two medics and three drivers.
TSG officers are not routinely armed, but are equipped with
SpeedcuffsSpeedcuffs are a model of handcuff designed and produced by the UK based Hiatt & Company. They are characterised by their rigid grip between to the two ratchet cuffs, this replacing the older type which were linked by a chain...
, Monadnock fixed batons and
CSCS gas is the common name for 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile , a "tear gas" that is used as a riot control agent. It is generally accepted as being non-lethal...
/
PAVANonivamide is an organic compound and a capsaicinoid. It is an amide of pelargonic acid and vanillylamine. It is present in chili peppers, but is commonly manufactured synthetically. It is more heat-stable than capsaicin....
Incapacitant SprayA lachrymatory agent or lachrymator is a chemical compound that stimulates the corneal nerves in the eyes to cause tearing, pain, and even temporary blindness. Common lachrymators include CS, CR, CN, bromoacetone, phenacyl bromide, and xylyl bromide...
like divisional officers. TSG does, however, have its own firearms capability with officers from '1 Area' being trained as
Authorised Firearms Officerthumb|right|Authorised Firearms Officers trainingthumb|right|SFO Firearms Officers trainingAn 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...
s (AFOs) on standard-issue firearms such as the Glock 17 and
Heckler & Koch MP5The 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.It is currently used by the armed forces and law enforcement units of over 40 countries...
semi-automatic carbine, as well as less-lethal weaponry such as the
L104A1 Baton GunA riot gun or less-lethal launcher is a type of firearm that is used to fire less than lethal ammunition for the purpose of suppressing riots. Less-lethal launchers may be special purpose firearms designed for riot control use, or standard firearms, usually shotguns and grenade launchers, adapted...
and
X26 TaserA 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 device's mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
. Officers from '1 Area' conduct certain infrequent armed patrols within London, usually supplementing
Specialist Firearms CommandSpecialist 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 routinely unarmed...
. Instead of TSG officers wearing standard black trousers and white shirt, when policing demonstrations they often wear fire-retardant overalls with their stab vests over the top.
TSG is also authorised to deploy
TaserA 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 device's mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
s. They have been in use for some time by
TrojanSpecialist 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 routinely unarmed...
teams and are now authorised for use by TSG officers. Tasers are traditionally used to incapacitate a suspect where the use of baton or incapacitant spray has proved ineffective, and the use of a firearm is inappropriate. Tasers are intended to be a less-lethal option for police where a suspect proves particularly violent and/or resistant to conventional means of arrest.
Criticism
Officers in the TSG have faced criticism about their policing methods and complaints have been made against officers of the TSG.
One ex-Metropolitan Police officer suggested that TSG members, "spend (their) days waiting for action, and far too many officers join seeking excitement and physical confrontation." Some officers are ex-military personnel and these are "the worst bullies" as "the laws of the battlefield are not appropriate to the streets of our capital".
The forerunner of the group, the
Special Patrol GroupThe Special Patrol Group was a unit of Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for providing a centrally-based mobile capability for combatting serious public disorder and crime that could not be dealt with by local divisions....
, was implicated in the death of
Blair PeachClement Blair Peach was a New Zealand-born teacher who died, allegedly as a result of police brutality, during an anti-racism demonstration in west London...
.
In 2003, six officers of the TSG performed what a judge in 2009 called a "serious, gratuitous and prolonged" assault on a terrorist suspect,
Babar AhmedThis article is about the British writer. For the terrorism suspect, see Babar AhmadBabar Ahmed is a Pakistani/British/American writer/director.- Education :...
, a 34-year-old IT support analyst who was not subsequently charged with any offence. The officers involved had already been the subject of as many as 60 complaints about unwarranted assaults against other men. A number of mail sacks containing these complaints were somehow lost.. The accusations were investigated by the
Independent Police Complaints CommissionThe Independent Police Complaints Commission is a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.-Role:...
but that they were found to be unsubstantiated. No charges were bought against the officers and five of the six were still members of the TSG in 2009. Babar Ahmed was later awarded £60,000 compensation, by the
High CourtThe High Court of Justice is, together with the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
, for the assault.
In 2005 a Kurdish youth recorded an officer on his mobile phone telling him "
If you say one more fucking word, I'll smash your fucking Arab face in" after he was stopped near Paddington Green police station. The officer was suspended but denied the charge.
Another investigation into six other officers of the TSG by the IPCC was launched following allegations made by three men that they were racially abused during an incident during June 2007 in
PaddingtonPaddington is an area of the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
. The officers appeared in court in December 2008 and were prosecuted; two for racially abusing the men, four of misconduct in a public office and one of racially-aggravated assault.
The GuardianThe Guardian is a British daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation .The Guardian Weekly, which circulates worldwide, provides a compact digest of four newspapers...
reported that a request may have been made to restrict reporting of the trial by the media.
During the
2009 G-20 London summit protestsThe 2009 G-20 London summit protests occurred in the days around the G-20 summit on 2 April 2009, which was the focus of protests from a number of groups over various long-standing and topical issues...
two officers of the TSG were suspended from duty following publication of videos which recorded alleged assaults on members of the public at the 2009 G-20 London summit protests and at a subsequent memorial. In the first case, the member of the public,
Ian TomlinsonIan Tomlinson was a British newspaper vendor who died in the City of London, London's financial district, during the 2009 G-20 London summit protests on his way home from work...
, died shortly afterwards. In the second case, Sgt Delroy (Tony) Smellie was seen hitting Nicola Fisher. Following her complaint, the Crown Prosecution Service announced in September 2009, that there was sufficient evidence to charge Sgt Smellie with assault. He will appear in court on November 16, 2009.
Video evidence shows that the officer seen hitting Ian Tomlinson had his face covered and that the officers involved in both cases were not displaying their identification numbers. Following the investigation into police handling of the protest, the human rights group
LibertyLiberty is a pressure group based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934 by Ronald Kidd and Sylvia Crowther-Smith , the group campaigns to protect civil liberties and promote human rights. In some cases Liberty also provides legal representation for people where it considers that rights have been...
called for further study of what it referred to as the
"militaristic approach" used by the TSG.
Academic Response
The TSG and their predecessors, the SPG, have been likened to
paramilitaryA paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military force, but which is not regarded as having the same status...
units during riot control operations by Tony Jefferson in the
The Case against Paramilitary Policing (1990). He argues this because of their use of shields, batons and helmets, their centralised command structure, their willingness to use force and being deployed in squad like formations. P. Waddington counters his conclusion in the British Journal of Criminology by pointing out that their equipment is mainly defensive. As employees, the police force have a duty to protect them from harm, he also notes that
paramedicA paramedic is a medical professional, usually a member of the emergency medical services, who primarily provides pre-hospital advanced medical and trauma care...
s in riot situations also wear similar helmets and armour. Jefferson argues that by the police preparing for an event, such as a march or protest where they expect there to be violence, they create a self-fulfilling prophecy and that violence will occur. Waddington responds to this by pointing out that the TSG were deployed at the
Notting Hill CarnivalNotting Hill Carnival is an annual event which since 1964 has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, London, UK each August, over two days . It is led by members of the Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean population, many of whom have lived in the area since the 1950s...
every year and yet there was not always violence. Jefferson also believes that by controlling the ground the TSG incites violence, Waddington cites examples (including the
Battle of the BeanfieldThe Battle of the Beanfield took place over several hours on the afternoon of Saturday 1 June 1985 when Wiltshire Police prevented a vehicle convoy of several hundred new age travellers, known as the Peace Convoy, from setting up the fourteenth Stonehenge free festival at Stonehenge in Wiltshire,...
) where problems were caused by the police not controlling the ground and that when they have then tried to gain control violence ensued. Waddington states that if the presence of the TSG caused violence, then violence would not occur if they were not deployed. Waddington uses examples from three
Poll Tax RiotsThe UK Poll Tax Riots were a series of mass disturbances, or riots, in British cities during protests against the Community Charge , introduced by the Conservative government led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher...
to illustrate that the assumption that their deployment causes violence is not correct. When the TSG were not deployed, serious disorder occurred, including a fully-fledged riot. In contrast when the TSG, including specialists in riot control, were deployed there was less violence. What is more he found that the more the police planned for the 'worst case scenario' the less disorder there was. When they controlled the space and the crowd was at its greatest, violence was lowest. Waddington states that whilst the deployment of the TSG in a riot situation is never desirable it is often essential to maintain order and limit violence. That said he also believes that the use of force should be as minimal as possible and that it should only be used to achieve publicly acceptable purposes.
Bases of operations
The TSG operates from five bases located throughout London:
- 1TSG, Harrow Road, Paddington Green
Paddington Green Police Station is located in Paddington, central London, England. The station is operated by the Metropolitan Police Service, and is a conventional police station, open to members of the public twenty-four hours a day. It also serves as the most important high-security station in...
(Includes trained Firearms officers)
- 2TSG, Finchley
Finchley is a district in the London Borough of Barnet in north London. Finchley is on high ground, about out 11 km north of Charing Cross in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Middlesex...
- 3TSG, Grove Road, Chadwell Heath
Chadwell Heath is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the London Borough of Redbridge in Greater London. It is north-east of Charing Cross. The public house the 'Eva Hart' is named after a resident of Chadwell Heath who survived the Titanic disaster.-Toponomy:The name...
- 4TSG, Aitken Road, Catford
Catford is a district of London located in the centre of the London Borough of Lewisham, England. It is located 6.3 miles south east of Charing Cross and covers most of SE6 postcode. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.The name derives from the...
- 5TSG, Larkhall Lane, Clapham
Clapham is an area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth.-History:Clapham dates back to Anglo-Saxon times: the name is thought to derive from the Old English clopp + hām or hamm, meaning Homestead/enclosure near a hill....