The Traffic Operational Command Unit (OCU), formally known as CO15, was the

Road Policing Unit A roads policing unit (RPU), or a similarly named unit in some forces, is the specialist road traffic police unit of a British police force. Responsibilities RPUs work with the National Police Chiefs' Council roads policing strategy, ''Policing ...

for the Metropolitan Police Service in

Greater London Greater may refer to: * Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality * ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film * Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record * "Greater" (song), by MercyMe, 2014 * Greater Bank, an Austra ...

, England. On 1 December 2014, Traffic OCU was merged with the Safer Transport Command (STC), to create the new Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) under the heading of MO8 (Met Operations: Section 8).

Role, responsibilities and aims

Traffic OCU's patrol officers are highly trained advanced (pursuit) drivers, motorcyclists and vehicle examiners. All receive additional training in accident investigation with many being trained to advanced levels in forensic collision reconstruction, vehicle examination, tachograph analysis and hazardous materials enforcement. They have responsibility for the enforcement of road safety legislation, response to major incidents and incidents on

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

s and the strategic road network, the complete investigation of fatal collisions, and the initial investigation of life changing Road Traffic Collisions within the MPD. Traffic OCU Sergeants (known colloquially as "Garage Sergeants") are also responsible for the investigation of all collisions involving police vehicles. Traffic OCU's stated aims are to: * Deny criminals use of the roads by enforcing the law * Reduce road casualties * Tackle the threat of terrorism * Reduce anti-social use of the roads * Enhance public confidence and reassurance by patrolling the roads * Attend and investigate all fatal collisions In addition to general police duties and patrol, Traffic OCU officers focus particularly on offences related to antisocial and criminal use of vehicles, driving under the influence of drink or drugs, excessive speed, dangerous and careless driving, defective vehicles, commercial vehicles and the transportation of hazardous materials, and disqualified, unlicensed or uninsured drivers. Within Traffic OCU, the Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU), staffed by detectives and expert collision investigators, is responsible for the investigation of all fatal collisions within the

Metropolitan Police District The Metropolitan Police District (MPD) is the police area which is policed by the Metropolitan Police Service in London. It currently consists of the Greater London region, excluding the City of London. The Metropolitan Police District was crea ...

. Whilst work continues to reduce the death toll, there are still in the region of 130 road traffic collision fatalities on London's roads each year - more than the number of murders.

Locations

Traffic OCU has four operational bases known as "Traffic Garages".

East Garage (TDJ)

The East Garage is located in Chadwell Heath. The Metropolitan Police Service uses the code of TDJ to identify the location. The premises is shared with the

Territorial Support Group The Territorial Support Group (TSG) is a Met Operations unit of London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) which specialises in public order policing, amongst other specialist areas. In 2012 it consisted of 793 officers and 29 support staff. T ...

and Dog Support Unit. Officers have the geographic responsibility for the boroughs of the

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originall ...

Newham The London Borough of Newham is a London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of West Ham and East Ham, authorities that were both abolished by the ...

Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in East London. It lies around 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames G ...

, Hackney,

Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities are Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham. The b ...

, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.

South Garage (TDP)

The South Garage is located in

Catford Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green and Catford South wards. The population of Catford, includin ...

. The Metropolitan Police Service uses the code of TDP to identify the location. The premises is shared with the

and the Dog Section. Officers have the geographic responsibility for the boroughs of the

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Cha ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwic ...

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one o ...

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, London Borough of Lambeth,

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

and

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extens ...

West Garage (TDV)

The West area has one garage located on an industrial estate in Merton which is shared with the Dog Section. Metropolitan Police Service uses the code of TDV (for Merton). The geographic responsibilities of the garage is the London Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham,

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

Hounslow Hounslow () is a large suburban district of West London, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 12 metropolitan centres in ...

Richmond Upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable a ...

, Merton,

Sutton Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to: Places United Kingdom England In alphabetical order by county: * Sutton, Bedfordshire * Sutton, Berkshire, a location * Sutton-in-the-Isle, Ely, Cambridgeshire * S ...

and

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buck ...

North Garage (TDQ)

The North Garage is located on an industrial estate in

Alperton Alperton () is an area of north west London, England, within the London Borough of Brent. It forms the southern part of the town of Wembley and is west north-west of Charing Cross. It includes a handful of high-rise and many mid-rise buildings ...

and the Metropolitan Police Service uses the code TDQ to identify the location. The premises is a shared base. The geographic responsibilities of the officers from this garage are the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent,

Camden Camden may refer to: People * Camden (surname), a surname of English origin * Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer * Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor Places Australia * Camden, New South Wales * Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was hi ...

, Enfield,

Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of t ...

Harrow Harrow may refer to: Places * Harrow, Victoria, Australia * Harrow, Ontario, Canada * The Harrow, County Wexford, a village in Ireland * London Borough of Harrow, England ** Harrow, London, a town in London ** Harrow (UK Parliament constituency) ...

Hillingdon Hillingdon is an area of Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in Middlesex that included the market town of Uxbridge. During the 1920s the civil ...

and

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

Former garages

Northolt (TDX), Barnes (TDB), Bermondsey (TDM), Bow (TDH), Croydon (TDZ), Euston (Firstly TDE, then TDC), Finchley (TDS), Eltham (TDR), Leyton-Rigg Approach (TDJ), Chadwell Heath (TDK), St Ann's Road (TDY), Hampton (TDT)

Staffing

Traffic Operational Command Unit had 622 Police Officers of which 523 are based at the four traffic bases across London with the remainder at Headquarters and other smaller specialist units and over 130 civilian Police Support Staff employed within the department along with a small number of Special Constables. The Police Officers and Special Constables from the command could be easily recognized by their shoulder numbers beginning with the letter 'T', with qualified traffic officers bearing white covers worn over their uniform caps. 139 were based at the North East Traffic Base (Chadwell Heath) 125 were based at the South East London Traffic Base (Catford) 117 were based at the North West London Traffic Base (Alperton) 142 were based at the South West London Traffic Base (Merton)

Equipment and vehicles

Traffic OCU officers patrol both in cars and on motorcycles. Cars used are the

BMW 5 Series The BMW 5 Series is an executive car manufactured and marketed by BMW since 1972, succeeding the New Class Sedans, and currently in its seventh generation. The 5 Series was initially available as a sedan, with a wagon/estate body style (market ...

530d tourer,

BMW X5 The BMW X5 is a mid-size luxury SUV produced by BMW. The X5 made its debut in 1999 as the E53 model. It was BMW's first SUV. At launch, it featured all-wheel drive and was available with either a manual or automatic gearbox. The second genera ...

4x4, Mitsubishi Shogun 4x4 and

Ford Mondeo The Ford Mondeo is a large family car manufactured by Ford since 1993. The first Ford model declared as a " world car", the Mondeo was intended to consolidate several Ford model lines worldwide (the European Sierra, the Telstar in Asia and Aus ...

Estate. Each vehicle is fitted with a mobile data terminal with access to the

Police National Computer The Police National Computer (PNC) is a database used by law enforcement organisations across the United Kingdom and other Non-Law Enforcement Agencies. Originally developed in the early 1970s, PNC1 went 'live' in 1974 providing UK police forc ...

Automatic Number Plate Recognition Automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR; see also other names below) is a technology that uses optical character recognition on images to read vehicle registration plates to create vehicle location data. It can use existing closed-circuit t ...

and video systems. The current solo motorcycle used is the BMW 1200RT-P although some older 1150cc and 650cc models remain. The command also utalises som
BMW 750GS
Although motorcycles carry less equipment than cars, they are far more agile through traffic congestion and are essential for escorting convoys, processions and demonstrations.

References

External links

Official websiteRoads & Transport Policing Command official website
{{Authority control Metropolitan Police units Transport authorities in London