Serious and Organised Crime Command
The Serious and Organised Crime Command was a unit of the Metropolitan Police in Greater London, United Kingdom. It was part of the Specialist Crime Directorate and is today part of Met Operations 7. It was divided into 10 units:
- Kidnap Unit – provided fast responses to life-threatening crimes in action, for example extortion, blackmail or kidnap for ransom where the hostage has not been recovered.
- Project Team – conducted operations against organised crime, at National Intelligence Model levels 2–3. This included proactive contracts to arrest major drugs suppliers, multi-dimensional crime groups, including ethnically composed gangs, and large-scale firearms trafficking.
- Branch Intelligence Unit – provided intelligence for the Serious and Organised Crime Group
- Flying Squad – investigated robberies of cash in transit companies, building societies, betting offices, post offices, jewellers, casinos and banks. They also investigated all robberies at commercial premises where a firearm was produced or intimated.
- Hostage and Crisis Negotiation Unit – provideed negotiators for all hostage situations, and delivered Hostage and Crisis Negotiation training nationally and internationally.
- Central Task Force – investigated class A drug dealers, firearms traffickers and any other criminal group affecting two or more London Boroughs, particularly criminal networks.
- Middle Market Drugs Partnership – a joint partnership between the Serious and Organised Crime Group and National Crime Agency. Investigated class A drug supply in London within minimum levels of 1/2 kg of heroin or 1 kg of cocaine, or where an operation would exceed 8 weeks.
- Cultural and Communities Research Unit – provided 24-hour support with immediate access to staff of the Met Police that had a broad range of life skills, such as knowledge of a community, language, culture, religion, trade or hobby.
- Operation Grafton – investigated criminal networks linked to crime with a value more than £10,000 in and around Heathrow Airport, including networks operating across force boundaries.
- Specialist Intelligence Service – provided intelligence for the Project Teams.