Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency

More documents

Recommendations

Info

SECRETARIAT The Secretariat continues to handle all Agency parliamentary business and ministerial correspondence. The Agency publishes information proactively on the MOD Freedom of Information website (www.foi.mod.uk) and now has procedures in place which allow the Secretariat on behalf of the Agency to respond to all written requests for information. The branch also continues to oversee Agency compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and dealt successfully with 124 Subject Access Requests in year. A personal data audit programme has been established and the first planned audits are complete. Data Protection and Freedom of Information awareness briefings are regularly provided whilst FOI and personal data training is available to all Agency staff via DBLearning and the Defence Electronic MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICE AND GUARDING AGENCY ANNUAL REPORT Learning Centre. In the first full year of implementing the Agency’s obligations under FOI it responded to 191 requests and met all of the agreed timescales for response. HQ ADMINISTRATION Administration of our HQ site at Wethersfield in Essex - the only estate for which the Agency has responsibility - is now based on the Estate Strategy agreed by the Agency Board back in January 2005. We have continued to progress the objective of improving the condition of the site, making it a better place in which to work, train and live. In excess of 20 projects were completed in year, resulting in more buildings being brought into use and others made fit for purpose. We have focused attention on making the site SHEF compliant, concentrating on fire prevention and safety measures for the personnel who sleep overnight at HQ. In addition, buildings considered to be a Health and Safety hazard and which could not be economically refurbished have been demolished. The year has also seen the successful transfer of responsibility for the site’s water-related assets to C2C, as part of the MOD’s national Project Aquatrine, and, as the year closes, we prepare to transfer site maintenance to the Regional Prime Contractor under the stewardship of MOD Defence Estates. The one disappointment was the slippage again in the long awaited refurbishment of the student living accommodation. This has been due to delays in processing by the MOD Estates organisation. 13
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICE AND GUARDING AGENCY ANNUAL REPORT HEADQUARTERS OPERATIONAL SUPPORT provides a range of services, both uniform and CID, in support of the operational outputs and objectives of the Agency. In addition to providing equipment, and the services of the Operational Support Units, the Special Escort Group, CID Headquarters and the Fraud Squad, the department also creates policy on vehicle and marine fleet capability and on operational planning. MDP FIREARMS POLICY The Firearms Policy Unit has continued to deal with important issues throughout the year. In addition to the acquisition of a provisional licence awarded for compliance with the ACPO Codes of Practice on the Police Use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons, the Unit has been responsible for the delivery of two Home Office supported counter-terrorism exercises. Updates to firearms policy, along with work being done to ensure Codes of Practice compliance, continue to place significant demands on the Unit. MP7 By the end of December 2006, the MDP will have deployed the Heckler & Koch 4.6mm Personal Defence Weapon (MP7) as the weapon of choice for the Agency. This is incrementally replacing the MP5, Browning Pistol and SA80 rifles in the majority of armed police roles. The MP7 was rolled out with the aim of offering a modern weapon system which presents a credible deterrent and significantly improves our capability to respond to an armed attack. It also enables us to meet most armed requirements with a single weapon thereby reducing to a minimum dual arming. This will continue to benefit our customers, our officers and those we protect whilst reducing on-going training costs and abstractions from duty. BATON GUN The MDP continues to deploy the Baton Gun to trained officers across the country to enable them to respond at appropriate locations and situations with a proportionate less lethal option. Changes have been made to the ammunition configuration this year. This has entailed the acquisition, training for and deployment of a new Attenuating Energy Projectile (AEP) round. PAVA & TASER Work began in 2005 on the introduction of the PAVA incapacitant spray, a less lethal option, into the Force. 3500 sets have been purchased, training 14 Director of Operational Support Assistant Chief Constable John Bligh QPM began in December and is due for completion in 2006. A working party was also set up during the year to look at the possibility of introducing the Taser weapon as another less lethal option, thereby bringing the MDP into line with Home Department and Scottish Office forces. It is hoped that trials will begin in the summer of 2006. DOGS MDP’s current total dog complement is 266 dog teams, consisting of Police Dogs grade One and Two; Patrol Arm True Dogs (under training for upgrade to Police Dog Grade Two status); Tactical Firearms Support Dogs; Arms, Explosive Search (AES) Dogs; Vehicle Search Dogs; and Drugs Detection Dogs. Search Dog Teams carried out a total of 2565 taskings over the year broken down into 2180 AES and 385 drugs taskings with numerous finds at various venues. These teams operate as an Agency asset managed by the Operational Support Department and are available as a national support resource. During Op Toga, the search dogs provided support to the Metropolitan Police and the British Transport Police following the London bombings on 7 July 2005. The Vehicle Search Dog teams that are deployed at units continue to provide high profile specialist support at establishments and as part of operations involving large amounts of vehicular traffic. Operational Police Dog deployments of the Police One and Two grades at the 31 police dog holding units have included frequent detached duties in addition to their core function. They carried out 354 defence-related operational taskings and 88 taskings in support of other Forces. The Heckler & Koch 4.6mm Personal Defence Weapon (MP7) is the weapon of choice for the Agency
Page 1 and 2: HC 1206 MINISTRY OF DEFENCE P O L I
Page 3 and 4: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICE AND GUAR
Page 13: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICE AND GUAR

Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?