Special Escort Group (Metropolitan Police)

The Special Escort Group (SEG) is a Specialist Operations unit (SO14) within London's Metropolitan Police Service. Formed in 1952,[1] the SEG provides protection and escort services to key public figures travelling around London.

Role

The unit's purpose is to provide armed motorcycle escorts for members of the royal family, protected members of the Government, visiting royals, heads of state and other visiting dignitaries. It also provides armed vehicle escorts for valuable, hazardous and protected loads and high risk prisoners.

This specialist unit of the Metropolitan Police consists of officers with a range of skills and operational experience from various policing backgrounds. One motorcyclist (lead bike) positions themselves in front of the escort, controlling the precise pace, position, speed and timing of the escort, whilst the others forge ahead, dealing with traffic situations and advising the lead bike of the safest path through the traffic they are controlling. SEG officers use whistles rather than sirens. This reduces the level of noise that precedes an escort and softens the environmental impact on the escorted person and general public.

Equipment

Officers from the Special Escort Group are among the few police motorcyclists in the UK that carry firearms openly whilst riding. All SEG officers are Advanced Drivers, Advanced Motorcyclists and are fully trained in anti-hijack driving and firearms tactics. The SEG uses a wide range of other vehicles aside from motorcycles, such as Range Rovers, or the BMW 5 Series, both marked and unmarked.

The motorcycle officers of the SEG carry Austrian Glock 17s. If authorisation is gained, all are qualified to use the German Heckler & Koch MP5, and since May 2012, the Heckler & Koch G36, making each member an Authorised Firearms Officer.

List of Motorcycles

The following is a list of the motorcycles used by the special escort group:[2]

Make Model Introduced
Triumph Speed Twin 5T 1952
Triumph Thunderbird 6T 1959
Triumph TR6 Trophy 1967
BMW R80/7 1980
BMW K100 1990
BMW R1100 & R1150RS 1997
Honda VFR1200 2012
BMW R1200 2018

References
  • "Royal's Special Escort Group". Mail Online. September 11, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  • "Protection Command". Metropolitan Police Service. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
  1. Jagger, Chris (2017). Escorting the Monarch. Barnsley: Pen & Sword History. p. 1. ISBN 1526720418.
  2. Jagger, Chris (2017). Escorting the Monarch. Barnsley: Pen & Sword History. p. 151. ISBN 1526720418.
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