Buckingham Palace
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The picture below is of Ex PC 271 'A'/147697 Chris Barker taken in or around 1962 on duty at Buckingham Palace.

Send Alpha Delta Plus your memories and pictures etc.of time spent at 'BP'.
email:alphadeltaplus@gmail.com

Here are a couple of stories from Chris re life at 'BP' in those days.
STORY 1:

Night duty at the Con Hill side gate inside 'BP'. Probably after 0200. Silence, apart from traffic away from West End. Yours truly with multi-handled Labrador (I was a multi-handler for 2 years @ 'BP'). Dog growls, hackles rise, pulls very hard on lead, difficulty in restraining him. Obviously someone over Con Hill wall and in bushes! No PR in those days, nearest phone several feet away inside garden gate. DECISION: let dog off lead, dash for phone and put up a, 'Suspects on' shout! No sooner done, hear sounds of Area cars various, no Alpha 1 in those days, had to use Charlie 1 & 2 and probably Bravo R/T covering 'BG'( border was t'other side of Grosvenor Place) and think, 'wonder if that's to do with me' - it was! See night duty running around from Terrace with PS Matthew TOPHAM, just at the same time as dog emerges from bushes looking very, very pleased who drops a duck from his jaws!!! I probably was dumbstruck! What to do next as everyone descends on me. Old Matt, he very wise northerner, 'Get bloody duck away from here, lad'. Well, we were under the Royal bedchamber windows! Over the Con Hill wall it went! It was a 'deceased' duck, it had certainly 'fallen off its perch', etc. All cars cancelled, false alarm!

THE SEQUEL:

Next night, parading in Police Lodge, surprise, surprise, Resident Inspector (not sure if Sid BARCHARD was there then) came in. 'Anyone know anything about a missing Royal duck?' CHORUS of 'No sirs' from assembled N/D. Apparently TRHs Charles & Anne had taken to the nesting couple of ducks and apparently most unhappy to find unattended nest AND eggs! Things had a nasty habit of filtering down from on high, in more ways than one there!

Chris Barker
email:chris@chrisbar.freeserve.co.uk
Modify The Text 2

 

 

Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department

 

The Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department (RDPD) is a branch of the London Metropolitan Police.

The security, as distinct from the ceremonial bodyguards or military protection, of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom and of members of the British Royal Family is entrusted to the Metropolitan Police. As currently organised, the Assistant Commissioner, Specialist Operations, has overall control. He exercises this through the Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Security and Protection. This DAC controls the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department, Aviation Security (SO18), and Special Branch (SO12). The Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department has primary responsibility for the safety of the Sovereign and the Royal Family and of visiting overseas VIPs and their accredited representatives in the United Kingdom.

The Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department was created on 1 September 1983 on the merger of the Royalty Protection Department and the Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG). Initially in A (Administration) Department, since 1985 it has been in the Specialist Operations Department. It was organised into the Royalty Protection Division (SO14), Royal Palaces Division (SO15), and Diplomatic Protection Group (SO16). It assumed responsibility for the security of the Palace of Westminster, where Parliament sits, in 1991 - this is policed by the Palace of Westminster Division (SO17). SO15 joined SO14 in 1995, and the Department is now divided into SO14(1) (static armed protection), SO14(2) (armed personal protection), and the Special Escort Group (SEG).

The Royalty Protection Division was created in 1982 from the Royalty Protection Squad (A1), itself created in the late 1970s from the Public Order Branch (A8) and the police of A District guarding the neighbourhood of Buckingham Palace. In late 1982 police guarding other royal residences in London (Kensington Palace, St James's Palace, Clarence House) and police responsible for Windsor Castle were added, along with the Royalty Protection Officers. The head of this part of the Department is the Queen's Police Officer. The Senior Personal Protection Officer to the Prince of Wales is a Superintendent while most Personal Protection Officers are Inspectors or Sergeants.

The Royalty Protection Squad, in A Department, was based at Cannon Row police station under the Queen's Police Officer. It was responsible for the protection of The Queen at public functions at Buckingham Palace, and all times when she was outside the Palace. The Queen's Police Officer also supervised the personal protection of all members of the Royal Family, although Royalty Protection Officers were not in the squad. The Queen's Police Officer commanded the police guarding the interior of the Palace and its grounds, through the Staff Officer.

The Queen's Police Officer was the descendant of the police first appointed for royal security in 1792. In that year Bow Street Runners, who were detectives appointed by the Magistrates of Bow Street court, were assigned to provide plain-clothes protection. In 1838 they were replaced by an Inspector of Police of the newly created Metropolitan Police, who was the direct ancestor of the Royalty Protection Squad. Special Branch took over some aspects of the role in 1883, but was largely superseded before the Second World War.

The Public Order Branch (A8) was formerly also responsible for royal security, particularly during ceremonial events, as was the Special Patrol Group (A9).

The Palace of Holyroodhouse and Balmoral Castle in Scotland are the responsibility of the Department when they are in royal use, and the Department also liaises closely with the Chief Constables responsible for any royal residence outside London.

The current head of the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department is Commander the Earl of Rosslyn (known professionally as "Peter Loughborough"), who was appointed in 2003 and is the only peer in the United Kingdom who is a serving policeman.

The current head of Royalty Protection (SO14) is Chief Superintendent Stephen Grainger. One recent predecessor was Chief Superintendent James Beaton, GC CVO, who held office 1983-92. He received the George Cross for protecting Princess Anne against a crazed attacker in 1974.