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The Protection Command is one of the commands within the Specialist Operations directorate of
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
's
Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
. The command specialises in
protective security A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers, ...
and has two branches: Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP), providing protection to the
royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term pa ...
and close protection to government officials, and Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP), providing uniformed security to government buildings, officials and diplomats. In contrast with the vast majority of British police officers, many members of the Protection Command routinely carry firearms in the course of their duties and all are authorised firearms officers.


Branches

In April 2015, the branches of Protection Command and elements of Security Command were merged into two distinct branches under the control of Protection Command: Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP; a merger of Royalty Protection and Specialist Protection) and Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP; a merger of the Diplomatic Protection Group and the Palace of Westminster Division of Security Command).


Royalty and Specialist Protection

The Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) was formed following a merger of the Royalty Protection Command (SO14) with the Specialist Protection Command (SO1) in April 2015. The department has three service areas: # Close protection for members of the Royal Family, government ministers (which includes the
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...
) and visiting heads of state. # The Special Escort Group (SEG) who provide mobile armed protection to members of the royal family and government ministers # Armed security at royal residences in London, Windsor and Scotland. Prior to 1978, when the ''Royalty Protection Branch'' was formed as a separate non-divisional specialist unit, royalty protection officers were attached for administrative purposes to "A" Division, although they came directly under the command of Assistant Commissioner "A".


Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection

Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) was formed following a merger of the Diplomatic Protection Group (SO6) with the Palace of Westminster Division (SO17) in April 2015. PaDP provide armed and unarmed protection of embassies, missions and the Parliamentary Estate. They also provide residential protection for high-profile government ministers and are responsible for access control and security at Downing Street and New Scotland Yard. PaDP was the command in which Police Constable Keith Palmer , who was killed in an attack at Westminster in 2017, worked, as did convicted kidnapper, murderer and rapist
Wayne Couzens Wayne may refer to: People with the given name and surname * Wayne (given name) * Wayne (surname) Geographical Places with name ''Wayne'' may take their name from a person with that surname; the most famous such person was Gen. "Mad" Anthon ...
who used his status as a Police Officer to deceive his victim by falsely arresting her.


See also

* List of protective service agencies * Counter Terrorism Command * Territorial Support Group *
United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...
* Fixated Threat Assessment Centre *
Special Protection Group The Special Protection Group (SPG) is an agency of the Government of India whose sole responsibility is protecting the Prime Minister of India and in some cases, his or her family. It was formed in 1988 by an Act of the Parliament of India. T ...
(India) * Federal Protective Service (United States) * Federal Protective Service (Russia)


References


External links


Official Webpage
{{Metropolitan Police Metropolitan Police units Protective security units