SO10
Encyclopedia
SO10 was the former designation of the Metropolitan Police
's Covert Operations Group.
as SCD10, though it is still colloquially referred to as SO10.
policing in London
, particularly focusing on surveillance and relying on support from armed officers
and specialist surveillance photography. Some of their most notable work is that in counter- terrorism operations, the most high profile of which lead to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes
who was mistakenly identified as a suspected suicide bomber on July 22nd, 2005.
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...
's Covert Operations Group.
History
The group's origins can be traced back to 1960, with the formation of what was known as the Criminal Investigation Branch, which later evolved and was merged into SO10 and the Public Order Unit. The group's original name referred to its Specialist Operations designation prior to restructuring of the Metropolitan Police, which saw it re- designated to the Specialist Crime DirectorateSpecialist Crime Directorate
The Specialist Crime Directorate is one of the main branches of the London Metropolitan Police Service. It deals with a wide range of criminality from murder to organised crime. Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick is currently the head of the directorate...
as SCD10, though it is still colloquially referred to as SO10.
Role
The group's role is to provide specially trained officers and resources for cases requiring covert policing and evidence gathering. It has responsibility for all undercoverUndercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
policing in 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...
, particularly focusing on surveillance and relying on support from armed officers
Authorised Firearms Officer
An 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 officers do not routinely carry firearms...
and specialist surveillance photography. Some of their most notable work is that in counter- terrorism operations, the most high profile of which lead to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes
Jean Charles de Menezes
Jean Charles de Menezes was a Brazilian man shot in the head seven times at Stockwell tube station on the London Underground by the London Metropolitan police, after he was misidentified as one of the fugitives involved in the previous day's failed bombing attempts...
who was mistakenly identified as a suspected suicide bomber on July 22nd, 2005.