PPE within other areas of policing
Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.25.042251
I note you seek access to the following information:
- I am enquiring about standard PPE for police constables within other areas of policing, I understand that standard PPE for ERPT/Local Policing includes things along the lines of:
Vest, bodycam, radio, PAVA, Baton, taser (if certified), handcuffs and other means of restrainment.
However I was wondering, departments such as:
EOD
CBRNE
Marine Policing
NPAS
And other departments that may not have the above PPE on their person, would they still have it someone within their vehicle, or is it required when not doing specific duties they have it on their person.
More specifically with EOD/CBRNE would they have handcuffs on their person/in their vehicle.
As well as this, can EOD/CBRNE officers be trained in the use of tasers / gaining a certification to carry a taser with them on duty/in the vehicle or can EOD/CBRNE not carry tasers.
I understand due to the sensitive nature of their job they may not but when looking online you get a lot of different answers which doesn't help. - In regards to EOD/CBRNE.
Do they actively patrol around the city in order to identify possible threats and suspicious activity?
I understand CBRNE may not however I have seen photos of EOD out and about so I was wondering if that's specifically going from scene to station etc or they do patrol. - Would EOD/CBRNE respond to normal incidents if they were:
Close by to the incidents
Witness the incident happening
A panic button was pressed nearby or would they respond to any panic button if assistance is needed.
And once other officers arrive would they leave the scene or stay on scene.
As well as this, I am presuming EOD/CBRNE officers were previously "beat cops" as well, so do EOD/CBRNE still carry the necessary equipment to deal with incidents not of an explosive/chemical nature. - With regards to EOD/CBRNE.
Is EOD and CBRNE 2 separate departments or does one or the other fall under the umbrella of each other,
For example
SO15 houses them
CBRNE is a department
EOD Falls under CBRNE
Or
EOD is a department
CBRNE falls under them
Or is it simply SO15 houses them and EOD and CBRNE are two separate departments. - I understand this one may not be able to be answered but what kit do CBRNE/EOD carry, I understand they would have bomb suits/chemical suits but is there any other equipment that carry that may not be for their primary jobs but are not regularly carried by normal officers.
- What Vehicles do EOD and CBRNE have.
- What is the difference between the gray CBRNE suits and the Black CBRNE suits.
- What is the standard uniform for EOD/CBRNE.
Online I see them wearing a shirt similar to what firearms where, would they wear that on a daily basis or do they wear different uniforms too. - In regards to EOD, how accurate is the TV Show trigger point in regards to procedure, uniforms, equipment and vehicles.
- What is the rank structure within EOD/CBRNE.
Are there senior roles e.g Senior EXPO?
Decision
I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information. Some data has been withheld as it is exempt from disclosure and therefore this response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) by virtue of the following exemptions:
Section 31(1)(a) – Law Enforcement
Reason for decision
Due to the specialist role performed by the EOD and CBRN teams, the vehicles in use could be classified as sensitive operational assets. Therefore, in regards to Request 6, to disclose any details relating to these vehicles, which would include the make and model, could be of intelligence value to those with a criminal or terrorist intent. This would allow them the ability to build up a picture of the team’s capability and thus the opportunity to undermine their law enforcement role by prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.
It is for this reason that Section 31(1)(a) of the Act is engaged.
With regards to Request 9, the Freedom of Information Act is a request to a public authority to describe the recorded information held. You have sought information which requires an opinion from the MPS concerning the TV series Trigger Point and as such, is not covered under the Act. I have therefore decided that the requirement outlined by Section 8(1)(c) of the Act has not been met.
Section 31 - Law Enforcement - A Freedom of Information Act request is not a private transaction. Both the request itself and any information disclosed, are considered suitable for open publication. This is because under the Act, any information disclosed is released into the wider public domain, effectively to the world, not just to an individual. Whilst not questioning the motives of an applicant, to disclose details of the fleet used by the teams within EOD and CBRN would not only allow genuine law abiding members of the public to be able to identify these vehicles, especially if located at a police building, but also those with a criminal and terrorist intent.
These teams/units are based within the Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) and this Operational Command Unit (OCU) falls under the Specialist Operations Business Group. It is therefore recognised that the work of SO15 is highly sensitive as its name suggests. As such, the disclosure of their assets, namely details relating to the vehicles in use by the EOD and CBRN units would provide offenders with valuable information about police fleet and may adversely compromise our policing operations. Disclosure would allow those who may wish to cause harm with the knowledge of the type of vehicles used by the units and thus assist with any planning to undertake criminal acts. An example being cloning a vehicle to assist with gaining access to high profile locations e.g. the parliamentary estate.
The prevention and detection of crime is the foundation upon which policing is built and the threat from terrorism cannot be ignored. It is generally recognised that the international security landscape is increasingly complex and unpredictable. The current UK threat level from internationally terrorism, based on intelligence, is assessed as substantial which means that a terrorist attack is likely.
In order to counter criminal and terrorist behaviour, it is vital that the police use all resources available to them. Any disclosure of information which could be to the detriment of providing an efficient policing service and would put members of the public and police officers/staff at risk, as well as hinder the MPS’s law enforcement functions in its ability to prevent and detect crime, cannot be in the public interest.
As I have explained above, disclosure of information which includes the make and model of these vehicles, which are considered to be operationally sensitive assets, would be likely to inform criminals of the location of police vehicles. This may prejudice our ability to prevent or detect crime and enforce the law.
Clearly it would not be in the best interests of the public to publish such information as it would also be likely to reduce the effectiveness of policing deterrents as a source for preventing and detecting crime. If criminals were to have details of the vehicles in use through a disclosure of the requested information, they could use this to assist with their criminal activity or for terrorist attack planning, Any disclosure which causes disruption and/or harm to members of the public, would subsequently result in a loss of confidence in the MPS.
I have determined that the disclosure of the requested vehicle information would include operationally sensitive assets and this would not be in the public interest.
Public money has been invested to make improvements to police efficiency and effectiveness in the use of their resources. Disclosure of this information would put these benefits at risk encouraging criminals to carry out surveillance of police vehicles, which could be used to their advantage and disrupt the specialist role performed by these units within SO15.
The MPS has a duty to protect the citizens of London as well as those who are visitors from overseas. In order to do this care must be taken as to what information is placed in the public domain. Where right to do so the MPS will always disclose information under FOIA, however, where a disclosure has the potential to cause harm the application of exemptions will be applied.
Therefore, for the reasons outlined above I consider that the benefit that would result from the disclosure of the requested information does not outweigh the arguments favouring non-disclosure.
Disclosure
I have today decided to disclose some of the requested information in regards to Requests No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10.
Please find below information relevant to your requests above.
Q1 - PPE:
The PPE in use for officers in the Marine Policing Unit is as follows:
Lifejackets
Knife
Helmet
Gloves
Goggles
Ear Protection
Fire Retardant Immersion Suit
Sun cream
Sunglasses
Marine Clothing
With regards to EOD/CBRN, police officers regardless of designation will carry standard PPE. Though depending on the task in hand, will depend if full PPE is worn or nearby.
In relation to handcuffs, EOD/CBRN police officers do carry this item. The event they are deployed to will depend on whether these are on their person or nearby.
In addition, EOD/CBRN police officers accredited for use of TASER will carry TASER whilst operationally deployed.
Q2 - PATROL:
Both EOD and CBRN police officers do not routinely patrol.
Q3 - EQUIPMENT:
EOD / CBRN police officers are all operationally deployable front line officers and as such carry the equipment to deal with incidents not of an explosive / chemical nature.
Q4 - DEPARTMENT:
Both units (EOD and CBRN) fall under the same department within the Counter Terrorism Command (SO15).
Q5 - ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
All equipment carried by CBRN/EOD staff is either for dealing with chemical / explosive incidents or for policing. Equipment carried for general policing purposes is standard issue for all front line policing officers.
Q7 - SUITS:
The difference between the grey and black CBRN suits is protective quality.
Q8 - STANDARD UNIFORM:
Police officers will wear specialist PPE appropriate to their role. However, whilst not in the ‘field’, officers will wear standard police uniform.
Q10 - RANK STRUCTURE:
In regards to police officers within EOD and CBRN, this follows the normal police rank structure of Chief Inspector down to Police Constable as shown below.
• Chief Inspector
• Inspector
• Sergeant
• Constable
However, there are also police staff performing technical roles (Explosives Officers) within EOD and can sit within the chain of command.
The Head of Unit is the Senior Explosives Officer – Band S (police staff technical role). This role is supported by a normal policing structure of Chief Inspector down to Police Constable (as shown above).
DUTY TO ADVISE AND ASSIST
Under Section 16 of the Act, there is a duty to advise and assist those that have made, or intend to make, a request for information. In accordance with this duty, I can confirm that the MPS proactively publishes all disclosures made in response to requests made under the Act on its Publication Scheme. I have provided a link to this section of the MPS website overleaf.
With regards to Q1, the National Policing Air Service (NPAS) are not based in the MPS, as they are the lead for providing borderless support to police forces across England and Wales. As a result, no information is held by the MPS. Therefore, please direct any FOIA queries relating to this Service via the link above.