THE METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE was created in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, Home Secretary for Great Britain. The officers were therefore affectionately – and sometimes not so affectionately – called bobbies or peelers.

Peel introduced the concept of policing by consent, in which police officers were considered “citizens in uniform” and relied on public cooperation and approval to carry out their duties, one of which was to engage in the prevention of crime. Physical force was seen as a last resort, and even then, only the minimum amount necessary to achieve the objective and keep the public safe was recommended.

Although bobbies in the nineteenth century had firearms available to them, they patrolled routinely with only a truncheon for self-defence and apprehension of criminals. In the 1880s constables were permitted, although not required, to carry revolvers, called “comforters,” during night-time patrols. In the mid-1930s this permission was revoked. Revolvers were kept locked at the station unless a constable had good reason for having one.

The first unit of armed officers was formed in December 1966. Since that time, the firearms unit has been renamed and reorganised on several occasions, one of the most recent being in April 2005, when it became known as part of Central Operations or CO19. However, the MPS is still largely an unarmed force, with more than ninety percent of its officers never having handled a firearm and not wishing to do so.

Police officers who complete an initial firearms course but who do not carry a weapon in their day-to-day duties are called Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs). They may be called out if an incident requires the assistance of a large number of officers.

Officers who pass the Armed Response Vehicle (ARV) course as well as an advanced firearms course are full-time firearms officers and the first to arrive on a crime scene. Each ARV carries a driver, an operator, and an observer. Officers may stop and search suspects, their vehicles, and their premises. They control and contain armed incidents and handle approximately one thousand calls per month.

If an enhanced firearms capability is needed, Specialist Firearms Officers (SFOs) are deployed. These individuals are abseil and shotgun trained and have graduated from the Specialist Firearms Officers course. They also serve on a full-time basis, conducting over fifty preplanned intelligence-led operations each month, including hostage rescue scenarios and response to chemical, biological, and nuclear threats. They are held to the highest standards of accuracy. SFOs are available round the clock.

All London Metropolitan Police firearms officers have extensive kit available to them. Two types of Kevlar body armour, digital encrypted radio with handset and microphone, chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) kit with two respirators. Amphibious kit. Personal abseil harness.

Flame retardant overalls, hooded Gore-tex jacket, blue nylon bomber jacket. Combat helmet, blue baseball cap or balaclava if identity needs protecting. Britton boots, personal sleeping bag, Gore-tex bivvy bag. Telescoping (expandable) baton. CS gas, a nonlethal component of tear gas. Pressure bandages. Plasticuffs.

Weapons include Heckler and Koch 9 mm single shot semi-automatic carbine rifle, H&K G36 assault rifle, 7.62 Styr sniper rifle, and Glock semiautomatic self-loading pistol. Tasers. Ammunition.

Officers train every six weeks: To maintain the level of authorisation and familiarity with the equipment. To identify weaknesses which can then be corrected. To develop patience. To generate alternatives, particularly deescalation. To learn what to say and how to say it so that commands are clear. To weigh cover versus concealment. To decide how and where to aim and when or if to fire. How to maintain focus and accuracy whether moving, standing still, or in a compromised position. How to prioritise when there is more than one target.

Scenario after scenario, in all sorts of weather, at all times of day, whether weary or wide awake, until movement is nearly instinctive. No hesitation. Nothing but rapid, seamless, decisive action. Feelings set aside. Only the cold hard facts of a mission determine the response.

On the Job thousands of calls and hundreds of operations take place, and rarely is a round released. Hence the endless planning and training. With the hope that their expertise will be unnecessary.