Ref:28/06 March 7, 2006
ACPO POLICY TO COMBAT SUICIDE TERRORISM STILL FIT FOR PURPOSE

A review of the UK police service’s response to the threat posed by suicide terrorism has deemed it fit for purpose.

Following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on 11 September 2001, the police service examined its strategy to combat the increased threat of suicide bombing. A working party was formed to research the phenomenon of suicide terrorism across the world and to suggest the tactics that the police in the UK could deploy to counter this threat. Extensive work followed which involved research and visits to other countries, liaison with government departments and expert legal advice, resulting in a policy drawn up by ACPO and adopted by all forces.

ACPO’s Police Use of Firearms Committee reviewed this policy for countering the threat of suicide terrorism following the July 7 bombings in London, and the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. The review has been carried out with participation from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). Although some aspects of the work of the review team remain confidential for operational reasons, ACPO are today publishing the principal conclusions.

Sir Chris Fox, ACPO President, said:

“While we await the IPCC findings of their investigation into the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes to decide if the policy needs to be revised further, we felt it necessary to be sure we have tactics available to us that we can use in the face of extreme threat and this review was therefore undertaken. I am pleased that the existing policy has been deemed fit for purpose and we now await any IPCC recommendations.

“The police service has an overriding duty to protect life, and occasionally, in discharging its duty, force is used. Very rarely officers, in order to save life, may have to take life. The use of lethal force is rightly scrutinised after any event, and this review aims to produce definitive guidance for inclusion in the existing Firearms Manual of Guidance, the relevant training curriculum and good practice for all forces.

“Police officers, faced with a threat have to identify and assess the threat and manage it. They must then use only such force as is proportionate in the circumstances, which may be negotiation or the use of force. Where it is absolutely necessary, lethal force might have to be used.”

The law provides police officers with the ability to use reasonable force under Section 3 of the Criminal Law Act. ACPO guidance exists to safeguard the public and to assist all police officers through difficult operational decisions as to what is reasonable force but never overrides the legislation. The response must always be proportionate.

The principal conclusions of the review are:

• That the policies designed to counter suicide terrorism previously developed by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the ACPO Terrorism and Allied Matters committee (ACPO TAM) remain, from a technical perspective, fit for purpose;

• That the principles and protocols developed for this review should be adopted by all forces and feature in any revision of the Codes of Practice on Police Use of Firearms and Less Lethal Technologies and the Manual of Guidance;

• That the relevant aspects of the policy relating to command structures, firearms training, communication and intelligence management be further reviewed once the IPCC have reported its findings;

• That any such revision of the Codes needs to give greater prominence to the process whereby approval is given to new weapon systems and equipment;

• That the police service needs to accelerate the work towards greater national standardisation of the selection, training and accreditation of those selected for firearms responsibilities; (this work is already being progressed by ACPO and the National Centre for Policing Excellence (NCPE));

• That the strategic policy and principles for countering the threat of suicide terrorism should be clearly articulated in a document available to the public;

• That the police service engage closely with communities in developing suicide terrorism policies, and seek a process of community engagement to ensure that the policies are understood.

THE UK POLICE SERVICE RESPONSE TO THE THREAT POSED BY SUICIDE TERRORISM guide can be found under the policies section listed under SUICIDE TERRORISM

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• The ACPO Press Office can be contacted via 020 7227 3406/3425 (office hours) or via 07803 903686 (out of office hours).

• The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is an independent, professionally led strategic body. In the public interest and, in equal and active partnership with Government and the Association of Police Authorities, ACPO leads and co-ordinates the direction and development of the police service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In times of national need ACPO, on behalf of all chief officers, coordinates the strategic policing response.

• ACPO’s 312 members are police officers of Assistant Chief Constable rank (Commanders in the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police) and above, and senior police staff managers, in the 44 forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus national agencies such as NCIS and the National Crime Squad, and other forces such as British Transport Police and States of Jersey Police.