NPCC: Todays firearms officers more skilled than ever as specialist recruitment extended
Specialist armed officers will continue being recruited until the end of 2018 to aid the fight against terror.
Specialist armed officers will continue being recruited until the end of 2018 to aid the fight against terror. Numbers of counter terrorism specialist firearms officers (CTSFOs) are expected to double over the next few years, according to the National Police Chiefs Council. The new CTSFOs who receive advanced training similar to that in the military will be deployed in hubs across England and Wales and will help counter the threat from organised crime and terrorism. The announcement comes as the NPCC revealed that armed officer levels are now 640 higher than this time last year. Deputy Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, national lead for armed policing, said: We are looking to double the size of the CTSFO team that was built for the Olympics. They will be brigaded into hubs around the country. These officers are a potent force that train alongside the military and are fully interoperable. They will be deployed to deal with serious organised crime threats as well as terrorism. Although the increase will bring armed officer numbers back up to similar levels to 2010, Mr Chesterman believes todays skills are wider than those that were lost. We now have the capability to deliver much more, he said. We also have plans in place to mobilise the non-Home Office forces to give support to a major incident and if needed the military. We have the ability to move much quicker to resolve situations. Previously the approach was to locate, contain and neutralise. Now it is to locate and confront. Our tactics are more aggressive. Armed officer numbers have plummeted from nearly 7,000 in 2009/10 to just 5,875 in 2013/14. Meanwhile, the UK terror threat level remains at severe in the aftermath of last months attack in Westminster, meaning further incidents are likely. Last year, the Home Office announced plans to reverse this decline by pledging £143 million to recruit an additional 1,000 officers by 2018. Forces are expected to fund another 500 officers themselves. The funding has so far resulted in 41 extra armed response vehicles in England and Wales, which have been placed in areas considered to be at greatest threat or with geographical challenges. Recently, the Police Federation of England and Wales said that the armed officer uplift has likely contributed to a nine per cent rise in the use of conductive electrical weapons in the last year.