Police Forces of The United Kingdom - Special Police Forces

Special Police Forces

These forces (except the SCDEA) operate in more than one jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. Within the multiple jurisdictions, the remit of some of the forces is further limited to the areas that they police, such as railway infrastructure. The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 gave the British Transport Police and Ministry of Defence Police a limited, conditional jurisdiction to act outside of their primary jurisdiction if the situation requires urgent police action and the local force are not readily available, or if they believe that there is risk to life or limb, or where they are assisting the local force. As these forces are responsible to specific areas of infrastructure, they do not answer to the Home Office, but instead to the government department responsible for the area they police. Both the MDP and BTP do voluntarily submit themselves to HMIC inspection:

  1. British Transport Police (Heddlu Trafnidiaeth Prydeinig) – Department for Transport and Scottish Government; the BTP operates only in Great Britain. As of September 2006, the BTP establishment was 2,677 police officers, 335 Police Community Support Officers: (PCSOs) and 1,297 other staff. BTP is the only special Police force to have PCSOs
  2. Civil Nuclear Constabulary (Heddlu Sifil Niwclear) – Department of Energy and Climate Change; the CNC does not usually operate in Northern Ireland. As of April 2007, the CNC establishment was 758 police officers and 96 other staff
  3. Ministry of Defence Police (Heddlu'r Weinyddiaeth Amddiffyn) – Ministry of Defence; the MOD police operates throughout the Ministry of Defence estate, in the United Kingdom. As of March 2006, the MDP establishment was 3,489 police officers (plus 291 probationers) and 530 other staff.
  4. National Crime Agency;The National Crime Agency was recently unveiled by the Home Secretary Theresa May as a body which would seek to limit high level crime such as organised crime. It is the replacement for the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
  5. Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency; the SCDEA operates in Scotland and although nominally an agency it is controlled by a police authority and Scottish police legislation. As of March 2007, there were 197 police officers seconded to the SCDEA from the eight territorial police forces in Scotland, plus a further 77 police staff

These forces are now defined in legislation as "special police forces".

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