2007 and the Second Edition of the Central Operations
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January 2007 Welcome to 2007 and the second edition of the • CO20 TSG 20 year anniversary – Central Operations Newsletter. commencing 4th January • CO Coordination and Tasking Office The good news from CO for this edition of the newsletter has been o Fully staffed – end of January 2007 overflowing and contributions have been received from most OCU’s in the business group. o Fully operational – end of March 2007 • CO12 Olympic OCU moving to Cam Road, th This edition highlights just a few of those operations and excellent work East London on 15 January 2007. being done. We hope you enjoy reading about them. • The following boroughs are joining Central Communications Command; If you have any feedback or comments about this newsletter or maybe o Merton – 9th January 2007 there is something you would like to see more of, please email o Croydon – 23rd January 2007 [email protected] • LGBT History Month – February 2007 • CO15 Traffic Open Day – 19th January 2007 Some of the highlights in this edition are: th - being held on the 27 Floor at ESB, between • Operation Foist and BusTag results 11-5pm • Details of the Assistant Commissioner’s Commendations • CO11 Dog Support Unit – Open Day at rd th • CO19 – Could you be an armed police officer? Along with Keston – 3 & 4 March 2007 (details inside) details of the upcoming recruitment process. • What’s happening in CO12 Olympic OCU? Dear Colleague Welcome to the second edition of the Central Operations newsletter and to 2007. The festive season has now passed and I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank you for all your hard work during 2006. Looking back over the last 12 months, I am extremely proud of all we have achieved. No one can question the contribution that you have all made to keeping safe our Capital City. 2007 will see some changes for the Business Group as colleagues from the Diplomatic Protection Group (SO16), Palace of Westminster (SO17) and Heathrow OCU (SO18) join us. I welcome the addition of these units to CO as it brings together under one roof all of the specialist uniformed policing functions, who play a vital role in policing the capital. It will allow us to work in a more joined up and integrated way, across a range of activities including transport, operations and security. The work ongoing in Central Operations that enforces and strengthens this approach, along with the community engagement projects being carried out across the business group, continues to amaze me. I hope this newsletter, just a taster of everything that is happening, is able to provide all of you a clear picture of the excellent work our officers and staff are doing to keep our capital city safe. p. 1 Death of Alexander Litvinenko – CO3 handles the Central Communications consequences Command Following the death of the former Delivering Good Service to the Public Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko and the discovery of the presence of Central Communications Command (CCC) The CCC programme will start in January radioactive material, Polonium 210, is the first Police Command Unit in the country 2007 with approximately 40 participants Operation Whimbrel was formed. to sign up to the Institute of Customer from all roles across the OCU. There will be Service Awards Programme. As the first an opportunity for a further group to join the There were two main strands to this point of contact for many members of the programme in Summer 2007 and additional operation, namely Investigation and public, this is an excellent opportunity for the opportunities in 2008. Consequence Management. CO3 OCU to support the MPS’s objective of ‘Citizen Emergency Preparedness coordinated Focus’, which is about delivering the service Further details can be obtained via e-mail the Consequence Management strand people need, as well as recognising and from [email protected] with CO11 planning and resourcing the rewarding the work of staff and officers within uniformed response. Commander Bob the OCU. Broadhurst as Gold (Strategic response) and Chief Superintendent Simon Lewis The CSA Programme encourages all customer as Silver (Tactical response) service professionals to work towards a professionally recognised award. There are 3 CO3 worked with all partner agencies to levels of awards (Communications, Solutions assist in the return to normality as quickly and Innovations) that take into account the as possible. Several scenes were under role, grade and rank of the individual. SO15 (Counter Terrorism Command) Participants commit time each week to record AC Tarique Ghaffur is presented with the ICS control. As they were released, a multi evidence of work they do or have done that certificate by Peter Osorio (ICS Membership agency Consequence supports the 4 key areas. Director) Management/Recovery Group, chaired • You and your customer by a Local Authority Executive, took on • You and your organisation responsibility for ensuring a safe clean • You and your colleagues up operation and hand back to the • You and your development owners. Carried on over page p. 2 leadership and professionalism, innovation, Death of Alexander Central Operations – ACs Commendations perseverance and planning for the G8 Summit in Litvenenko (contd) July 2005. On Friday 24th November, AC Tarique Ghaffur PS David Hine from CO11 Public Order was commended officers and staff from Central The partners involved included: Health commended for leadership, planning and Operations, paying tribute to their outstanding Protection Agency, Foreign and organisational skills on the policing response to bravery, professionalism and dedication to Commonwealth Office, Atomic Weapons the World Cup 2006. their job. Establishment, Home Office, the Environment Agency, Department for Det Sgt Kevin Bennett from CO4 Disclosure A total of 38 staff were presented with awards Transport, NHS, London Resilience Service was commended for professionalism for their extraordinary work at the Victoria Park Team, Occupational Health Risk and determination in developing the capacity of Plaza Hotel, Vauxhall Bridge Road. Assessors and Directorate of Public the MPS to identify those who pose a threat to Affairs to name but a few. children and vulnerable persons. PCs Lee Simons, Patrick Sullivan and Sean Kelly along with six other officers from CO19 Whilst the investigation continues, there Financial Investigation officer Ken Hopkins Specialist Firearms Unit were commended are now no venues being policed by from CO14 Clubs & Vice was commended for their professionalism, teamwork and uniform officers. leadership and investigative ability in a complex restraint in the safe resolution of a firearm vice enquiry. incident. CO3 continue to liase with the Local Authority Recovery Group. AC Ghaffur presented the awards saying: Sgt Rob Hepper and seven officers from CO19 Specialist Firearms Unit were We will keep you informed of any “Commendation ceremonies are an important commended for bravery, restraint and updated via the front page of the intranet opportunity to pay tribute to officers and staff for professionalism in rescuing hostages and and in future newsletters. their various acts of outstanding bravery, safely detaining a dangerous suspect. investigative ability, leadership and professionalism. It also provides the Police Insp Yvonne McLaughlin, Insp Christopher Service with an opportunity to say thank you to Broome, PS’s Jon Bailey and Trevor all the families, partners and friends and enable Jenner and PC Matt Stone from CO11 them to share in those achievements.” Public Order Branch were commended for Please see page 12 for photos from the event p. 3 CO1 – Introducing the Green Operation BusTAG Result Paper The following day officers awaited his arrival at Operation BusTag is the MPS’s Closed his usual destination and after arresting and Ekow Sam, Environment Champion for CO1 is Circuit Investigation Unit, set up in November searching him found the suspect to be implementing a Business Support initiative 2004 by CO17 Transport OCU and funded by concealing several medical blades. It was due dealing with such issues as the recycling Transport for London. This unit tackles to this overwhelming evidence in good quality waste paper in the office. criminal damage being committed on buses. In CCTV images against the Salcedo that he just 2 years the unit has achieved some 1,200 pleaded guilty in court. It is now widely recognised by most experts arrests, tripling the arrest rates for offences that we have an environmental crisis brewing such as graffiti, window etching, arson and Chief Superintendent Michael Humphrey, and must look at our behaviours now in order seat and window damage. In addition they Transport OCU said: to limit the effects of this crisis. have achieved a conviction rate of more than 90 percent. “ We are methodically analysing CCTV evidence to build compelling cases for How we each deal with this is a personal As a result of the excellent work of this unit a prosecution before the courts. We are getting responsibility but as an organisation we can better at discovering the identities of offenders. start acting responsibly and looking at our 46 year-old man Luis Salcedo has recently been convicted of five counts of criminal Results such as this are encouraging our work habits and what difference we can make efforts” there. damage to five buses and two counts of being in possession of a bladed article. He was fined Chief Supt Michael Humphrey, Commander of Transport OCU £400 in compensation and £75 in prosecution and Steve Burton, Deputy Director of Transport for London’s As an organisation we print enormous Transport Policing and Enforcement Directorate. amounts of documents every day, not all of costs as well as having to complete 80 hours which are needed and very often end up in the community services, 12 months community confidential waste bag or general waste bins in punishment order and banned from travelling our offices.