Territorial Support Group
Created in January 1987 the Territorial Support Group (TSG) supports Territorial
Policing, Specialist Operations, Specialist Crime and boroughs in achieving
our corporate objectives.
The TSG provides the only MPS Strategic Reserve for public disorder and critical
incident response. It is a resource tasked for crime related issues across
all business groups as well as being the MPS reserve for CBRN (Chemical,
Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) response.
The TSG is London’s first response to any planned or spontaneous events,
which may involve public disorder. We have policed every major public order
event in the capital.
The TSG consists of a multi skilled and adaptable team of officers available
to support the organization on boroughs with a wide range of complex issues,
for example:
- Flexible short notice deployments supporting corporate operations
- Rapid entries
- Taser, preplanned and spontaneous
- Plain clothes/uniform tactics
- Providing tactical solutions and advice to borough and business group problems
- Surveillance
- Community projects
Deployment of TSG
The TSG Commissioners Reserve provide 24/7 Pan London coverage, they are
equipped with Taser and can be deployed as a Golden Hour response to critical
incidents, terrorism or spontaneous public disorder with the authority
of a Duty Officer by contacting CCC.
Their borough reserves and crime posting teams are deployed to boroughs via
the CATO tasking process to assist the OCU at a local level with specific
identified crime problems.
The TSG also supports counter terrorism initiatives with both high visibility
patrols and providing behaviour detection trained officers.
Training and Recruitment
TSG officers are selected on merit. Essential criteria are: professionalism, self motivation and excellent communication skills. A high degree of fitness is required. Once selected an officer will complete a two week induction course where they receive enhanced instruction in public order tactics, CBRN training and officer safety techniques.