Authorised firearms officer

An authorised firearms officer in London, England on 29 April 2011 on duty for the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
A Ministry of Defence Police officer on duty in London with an MP7 Personal Defence Weapon.
Authorised firearms officers standing guard at the entrance to Downing Street, London, home of the UK Prime Minister. This officer is attached to the Diplomatic Protection Group.
North Wales Police authorised firearms officers with Heckler & Koch G36C rifle during UK general election in June 2017

An authorised firearms officer (AFO) is a British police officer who is authorised and trained to carry and use firearms. The designation is significant because most police officers in the United Kingdom do not routinely carry firearms. The only forces where officers are routinely armed are the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Ministry of Defence Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Belfast Harbour Police and the Belfast International Airport Constabulary.

In 2019/20 fiscal year, there were 19,372 police operations throughout England and Wales in which the deployment of firearms was authorised and 6,518 firearms officers, 4.9% of the 132,467 active full-time equivalent officers.[1] Following the November 2015 Paris attacks, the decision was made to significantly increase the numbers of armed officers, particularly in London.[2]

AFOs can be up-skilled with additional qualifications, such as Armed Response Vehicle Officer (ARVO), Specialist Firearms Officer (SFO), and Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officer (CTSFO), alongside other specialities, including rifles.

  1. ^ Shaw, Daniel. "Police use of firearms statistics England and Wales: April 2019 to March 2020" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  2. ^ White, Mark (13 January 2016). "Met Police To Double Armed Officers On Patrol". Sky News. Retrieved 13 January 2016.