No 3 (Royal Auxiliary Air Force) Police Squadron formed as a consequence of the assumptions made in the

Strategic Defence Review The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was a British policy document produced in July 1998 by the Labour Government that had gained power a year previously. Then Secretary of State for Defence, George Robertson, set out the initial defence policy of t ...

, presented to Parliament by the

Secretary of State for Defence The secretary of state for defence, also referred to as the defence secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Ministry of Defence. The incumbent is a membe ...

(then the Rt. Hon.

George Robertson MP George Islay MacNeill Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, (born 12 April 1946), is a British politician of the Labour Party who was the 10th Secretary General of NATO from 1999 to 2003; he succeeded Javier Solana. He was Secretary of Sta ...

) in July 1998. The SDR recognised that deployed air operations are likely to take place at the end of a long supply chain or line of communication. Control of this line of communication is a task which falls to the service military police organisations: The

Royal Air Force Police The Royal Air Force Police (RAFP) is the service police branch of the Royal Air Force, headed by the provost marshal of the Royal Air Force. Its headquarters are at RAF Honington and it deploys throughout the world to support RAF and UK defence ...

and the

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operation ...

. To undertake this expanded task, the establishment of the RAF Police was increased by a number of both regular personnel and reservists. After a study, it was decided that the most effective way for the reservists to be formed was as members of the

Royal Auxiliary Air Force The Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), formerly the Auxiliary Air Force (AAF), together with the Air Force Reserve, is a component of His Majesty's Reserve Air Forces (Reserve Forces Act 1996, Part 1, Para 1,(2),(c)). It provides a primary rein ...

. These personnel would then be integrated with the existing Tactical Police and Security Squadron to form Tactical Police Wing. Recruiting for 3 (Royal Auxiliary Air Force) Police Squadron began in earnest in October 2002. No 3 (

Tactical Provost Wing The Tactical Police Squadron (TPS) is a group of around 150 regular and 50 reservist (RAuxAF) Royal Air Force Police with its headquarters at RAF Honington in Suffolk, England. The reservists comprise No 3 (Royal Auxiliary Air Force) Police Squadr ...

) Police Squadron is based at

RAF Honington Royal Air Force Honington or more simply RAF Honington is a Royal Air Force station located south of Thetford near Ixworth in Suffolk, England. Although used as a bomber station during the Second World War, RAF Honington is now the RAF Regim ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. During 2005 elements of 3 TPS deployed on exercise with Territorial Army units of the Royal Military Police to

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

for Exercise Uhlan Eagle.Royal Military Police journal More latterly known as 3 (Royal Auxiliary Air Force) Police Squadron, No: 3 Royal Air Force (Tactical) Police Wing, the "Royal Auxiliary Air Force" element is often abbreviated to "RAuxAF". Tactical Provost Wing is an independent Unit based at

. The Wing had its roots in the Support Squadron of Headquarters Royal Air Force Provost and Security Services, which was formed in 1968 to provide a force reserve for the

Provost Marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...

, as they were then known, to deploy in support of operations, exercises and other contingencies. It was re-titled Tactical Police and Security Squadron in 1996 as part of an increased focus on support to deployed operations. The primary focus for the Squadron and latterly the Wing has been Lines of Communication Policing and policing of deployed operations and exercises in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and overseas. The Squadron and Wing also provides air transport fleet worldwide through searches of passengers and cargo, the guarding of aircraft and cargoes, and the assessment of airfield security. In addition it continues to provide Royal Air Force Police personnel to undertake military policing and security tasks on both deployed operating bases and in wider operational areas. There have been few Royal Air Force operations in the last 30 years which have not seen the deployment of RAF Police personnel including RAuxAF Police. 3 (Royal Auxiliary Air Force) Police Squadron is totally integrated into No: 3 Royal Air Force (Tactical) Police Wing structure. Much of its support comes from Wing level resources and, in turn, personnel can expect to work directly alongside their regular counterparts. Applicants to join are invited to attend the Squadron Headquarters at RAF Henlow for a half day selection board. The board includes an aptitude test, interview and medical examination. Selected recruits complete a Basic Recruit Course held at

RAF Halton Royal Air Force Halton, or more simply RAF Halton, is one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the United Kingdom. It is located near the village of Halton near Wendover, Buckinghamshire. The site has been in use since the First World W ...

. The BRC is in two phases: *Phase 1 - 4 weekends at

*Phase 2 - Trade Training is then done at weekends and a residential 16-day period. Continuation then takes place at RAF Honington for one weekend every month (usually the second weekend, except November because of Remembrance weekend). Previous service and/or the person's civilian career can expedite this process at various stages.

References

{{reflist

External links

Strategic Defence Review

RAuxAF Police
Squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Military police units and formations Military police of the United Kingdom