Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch
Encyclopedia
The Anti-Terrorist Branch (or SO13 by its designation) was a Specialist Operations
branch of London
's Metropolitan Police Service
, formed to respond to terrorist activities within the capital.
The Anti-Terrorist Branch originally dealt with bombings perpetrated by anarchist groups, during the 1970s it assisted in the campaign against the IRA
, alongside Special Branch
and the Security Service (MI5)
In 2005, the Branch had 345 officers attached to it, with funding for another 500 being sought. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner
Ian Blair, QPM
announced that Specialist Operations units were to be re-aligned.
In 2005 the Anti-Terrorist Branch and the Special Branch were merged, creating a new unit the Counter Terrorism Command
, or SO15.
Specialist Operations
Specialist Operations is a directorate of the Metropolitan Police. At its peak, SO was a group of twenty specialist units, which were formed to give the Metropolitan Police a specialist policing capability. The SO designation was implemented in 1986 as part of Sir Kenneth Newman's restructuring of...
branch of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
, formed to respond to terrorist activities within the capital.
The Anti-Terrorist Branch originally dealt with bombings perpetrated by anarchist groups, during the 1970s it assisted in the campaign against the IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
, alongside Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
and the Security Service (MI5)
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
In 2005, the Branch had 345 officers attached to it, with funding for another 500 being sought. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner
Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service, classing the holder as a chief police officer...
Ian Blair, QPM
Ian Blair
Ian Warwick Blair, Baron Blair of Boughton, QPM is a retired British Police officer who held the position of commissioner of police of the metropolis from 2005 to 2008 and was the highest ranking officer within the Metropolitan Police Service.On 2 October 2008 Blair announced that he would...
announced that Specialist Operations units were to be re-aligned.
In 2005 the Anti-Terrorist Branch and the Special Branch were merged, creating a new unit the Counter Terrorism Command
Counter Terrorism Command
Counter 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...
, or SO15.