Borough codes

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.033954

I note you seek access to the following information:

Please can you provide all your borough codes; I.e. AW, AS, SE, etc. and which borough they refer to.

Additionally, can you provide all codes used above FINs (Force Identification Numbers- commonly referred to as "Collar Numbers) and their meanings.

I.e. Royal Parks Police - [Code], etc

Decision

I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Information relating to Specialist Operations and Met Operations shoulder numbers have been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure in accordance with Section 31(1)(a)(b) and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act).

Reason for decision

We have shoulder numbers in the MPS, these are often referred to as collar numbers in County forces. In the MPS, shoulder numbers are displayed on the epaulettes/shoulders of uniformed officers and are an identifying number for that specific department and officer. It is different to a warrant number. All officers below the rank of Inspector will have a shoulder number.

There is a naming convention for officers’ shoulder numbers and it begins with one or two letters, representing the Basic or Operational Command Unit or the Business Group, followed by unique number (up to four digits) which is specific to the individual Constable or Sergeant.

Although we can disclose that ‘SO’ relates to Specialist Operations, and ‘CO’ used to relate to Central Operations (but has now been renamed ‘MO – Met Operations’), disclosing the specific suffixes used within these business groups, and by what teams and units, would leave the MPS vulnerable for security purposes, as this information could be manipulated to impersonate officers, gain access to unauthorised areas, or disrupt resourcing with the use of a police radio.

Although the MPS are cognizant of the fact that these numbers are on the shoulders of officers attending calls and on the street, it is our belief that there is harm in providing it in a readily collated format – making it far easier to manipulate and use for improper reasons in an anonymous manner.

Section 31(1)(a)(b) – Law Enforcement - Providing exhaustive lists of all units and suffixes would be useful information for someone wishing to impersonate an officer. Structural and organisational changes within the MPS over the years’ means that sometimes shoulder numbers will change, and some suffixes may become non-operational. Should we release a readily compiled list of up to date suffixes and the specific unit using them, we would be making it especially easy for someone to create a fake uniform with a realistic should number. This would impact upon our law enforcement functions as, for example, it may enable these individuals access to otherwise non-accessible areas or individuals, thus obviously causing significant security and policing concerns. This is especially the case when it is considered that the Units most likely to be captured within these business groups are those of a more specialist nature.

In addition, individuals wishing to impersonate an officer could also put themselves and others in danger should they become involved in incidents of ‘policing’, for which they are untrained and unauthorised.

There have been many cases of impersonating officers, as recently as May last year. Information that could be used to impersonate an officer (likely only ever done for malicious and illegal intent) must be protected. Although shoulder numbers can be seen on patrolling officers, or those officers’ policing incidents, disclosing an up to date list of the specific units using specific suffixes creates the realistic prospect that those wishing to do so are able to do so more successfully. This may enable these individuals with ill intent the possibility to gain access to individuals, situations and sites otherwise not open to them.

This not only has an implication for detecting crime, but also apprehending those responsible. Furthermore, it has significant implications for officer and public safety.

Even seemingly innocuous information, when coupled with information already available to the public, can be used by those with ill intent to disrupt our policing efforts and hinder our core law enforcement functions. This information must be protected.

Disclosure

Please see below information relevant to your request.

The 12 BCU structure consists of the following boroughs:
1. Central West BCU (AW) – Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster
2. South West BCU (SW) – Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Wandsworth
3. South BCU (SN) – Bromley, Croydon, Sutton
4. South East BCU (SE) – Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham
5. East BCU (EA) – Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge
6. West BCU (WA) – Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow
7. Central South BCU (AS) – Lambeth, Southwark
8. North BCU (NA) – Enfield, Haringey
9. Central East BCU (CE) – Hackney, Tower Hamlets
10. Central North BCU (CN) - Camden, Islington
11. North West BCU (NW) – Barnet, Brent, Harrow
12. North East BCU (NE) – Newham, Waltham Forest

The term ‘collar number’ has been replaced in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) by the term ‘shoulder number’.

There is a naming convention for officers’ shoulder numbers and begins with one or two letters, representing the Basic or Operational Command Unit or the Business Group, followed by unique number (up to four digits) which is specific to the individual Constable or Sergeant.

In the MPS, Inspectors, Chief Inspectors, Superintendents, Chief Superintendents, Commanders, Deputy Assistant Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Commissioner: all have no shoulder numbers

Command	Area	Team	Suffix
Directorate of Human Resources	L&D	L&D	L
Frontline Policing	AS	AS - Central South	AS
Frontline Policing	AW	AW - Central West	AW
Frontline Policing	CE	CE - Central East	CE
Frontline Policing	CN	CN - Central North	CN
Frontline Policing	EA	EA - East Area	EA
Frontline Policing	NA	NA - North Area	NA
Frontline Policing	NE	NE - North East	NE
Frontline Policing	NW	NW - North West	NW
Frontline Policing	SE	SE - South East	SE
Frontline Policing	SN	SN - South Area	SN
Frontline Policing	SW	SW - South West	SW
Frontline Policing	WA	WA - West Area	WA
Frontline Policing HQ	CRIB	CRIB	TP
Frontline Policing HQ	Headquarters	Headquarters	TP
Professional Standards	Professional Standards	Professional Standards	MR
Specialist Crime	Specialist Crime	Specialist Crime	MF
Taskforce (TSG)	TSG	TSG	U
Territorial Policing	FPHQ	FPHQ	VF
Territorial Policing	VCTF	VCTF	VF
Royal Park	Royal Parks	Royal Parks	RO