Emergency Preparedness Operational Command Unit
Encyclopedia
The Emergency Preparedness Operational Command Unit (CO3) is a branch of the Central Operations
directorate within London
's Metropolitan Police Service
. The unit's role is to ensure that the communities and the police of London are prepared and ready to deal with major terrorist attacks. This includes the forming of contingency plans, and organising training events for the Metropolitan Police to test their CBRN
response. The unit was formed in 2004, under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004
, which puts a responsibility on the Chief Officers
of the MPS to ensure that the police are prepared.
and Paralympics
, in conjunction with other units. In the event of a major terror attack, the unit would be responsible for an identification call centre
for victims' families.
The objectives of the unit mostly involve contingency planning, exercising major incident procedures, organising body recovery in the event of an attack, advising senior staff and officers in charge of major incidents, liaison with other organisations such as the Ambulance Service
and Fire Service
. The unit is also heavily involved in staging mock attacks on premises and companies to test preparedness and evacuation times.
Central Operations
Central Operations is a major directorate of the London Metropolitan Police Service that provides operational support to the rest of the service...
directorate within London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
. The unit's role is to ensure that the communities and the police of London are prepared and ready to deal with major terrorist attacks. This includes the forming of contingency plans, and organising training events for the Metropolitan Police to test their CBRN
CBRN
CBRN is an initialism for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear. It is used to refer to situations in which any of these four hazards have presented themselves. The term CBRN is a replacement for the cold war term NBC , which had replaced the term ABC that was used in the fifties...
response. The unit was formed in 2004, under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004
Civil Contingencies Act 2004
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that establishes a coherent framework for emergency planning and response ranging from local to national level...
, which puts a responsibility on the Chief Officers
Chief police officer
Chief police officer is a phrase used in the United Kingdom to describe the position held by the most senior police officer in a police force. It refers to either one of the 53 Chief Constables, the Commissioner of the City of London Police or the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Such...
of the MPS to ensure that the police are prepared.
Role
The three main areas of focus for the unit, are planning emergency procedures such as evacuations, identifying and recognising vulnerable premises and educating against threats. Currently, the unit is involved in planning anti-terror operations for the 2012 Olympics2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
and Paralympics
2012 Summer Paralympics
The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics and will take place between 29 August and 9 September 2012. The Games will be held in London, United Kingdom after the city was successful with its bid for the Paralympics and Summer Olympic Games.Even though 2012 will be London's...
, in conjunction with other units. In the event of a major terror attack, the unit would be responsible for an identification call centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
for victims' families.
The objectives of the unit mostly involve contingency planning, exercising major incident procedures, organising body recovery in the event of an attack, advising senior staff and officers in charge of major incidents, liaison with other organisations such as the Ambulance Service
London Ambulance Service
The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the largest "free at the point of contact" emergency ambulance service in the world. It responds to medical emergencies in Greater London, England, with the ambulances and other response vehicles and over 5,000 staff at its disposal.It is one of 12...
and Fire Service
London Fire Brigade
The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for London.Founded in 1865, it is the largest of the fire services in the United Kingdom and the fourth-largest in the world with nearly 7,000 staff, including 5,800 operational firefighters based in 112 fire...
. The unit is also heavily involved in staging mock attacks on premises and companies to test preparedness and evacuation times.
See also
- Emergency managementEmergency managementEmergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the continuance of the...
- London Fire and Emergency Planning AuthorityLondon Fire and Emergency Planning AuthorityThe London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority is a functional body of the Greater London Authority and was established under the Greater London Authority Act 1999. Its principal purpose is to run the London Fire Brigade....
- Civil Contingencies SecretariatCivil Contingencies SecretariatThe Civil Contingencies Secretariat, created in July 2001, is the department of the British Cabinet Office responsible for emergency planning in the UK. The role of the secretariat is to ensure the United Kingdom’s resilience against disruptive challenge, and to do this by working with others to...