Authorised Firearms Officer
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An Authorised Firearms Officer (AFO) is a British police officer who has received the training and authorisation to carry and use firearms. The designation is significant because in England, Wales and Scotland uniformed police officers usually do not carry firearms. Police officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, however, do routinely carry firearms for personal protection.
[edit] Authorised Firearms Officers of the Metropolitan Police
Within the London Metropolitan Police there are a number of Operational Command Units (OCUs) that employ AFOs.
- The Territorial Support Group has a small pool of AFOs for certain security tasks.
- The Specialist Crime Directorate arms some surveillance officers.
- Some detectives in the Flying Squad are AFOs.
- Special Branch deploys armed officers in its surveillance units, and in A Squad, which protects the Prime Minister and other dignitaries.
- Royalty Protection Department, which protects members of the Royal Family and guards royal buildings.
- Special Escort Group, which escorts and protects high-risk convoys.
- Diplomatic Protection Group, which guards embassies and government buildings. It also provides the armed guards at Parliament to supplement the Palace of Westminster Division, which is unarmed.
- Aviation Security, which protects Heathrow and London City airports.
- Specialist Firearms Command (CO19), which provides armed support to the rest of the service, crewing Armed Response Vehicles and providing Specialist Firearms Officers (SFOs)
- A few police officers in the London Borough of Greenwich are trained AFOs to provide occasional security for the high security court at Belmarsh.
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