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Operation Kratos
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Operation Kratos
Operation Kratos was a set of tactics developed by London's Metropolitan Police Service for dealing with suspected suicide bombers, most notably firing shots to the head without warning. The tactics were developed shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks, based in part on consultation with Israeli and Sri Lankan law enforcement agencies on how to deal with suicide bombers. Little was revealed about these tactics until after the mistaken shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes on 22 July 2005, in the wake of the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The term is no longer used by the Metropolitan Police, although similar tactics remain in force.
After the 11 September 2001 attacks, many police agencies worldwide began to seriously consider the possibility of suicide attacks in their own home countries and cities. A Metropolitan Police team led by Barbara Wilding, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations, visited Israel, Sri Lanka and Russia, to learn from their experience of suicide attacks. They also consulted UK government scientists.
Key findings were:
New tactics were developed in the first half of 2002 by Wilding and David Veness, Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations. These were designated Operation Kratos, named after the Greek demi-god Kratos (Ancient Greek: κράτος, lit. 'strength or power'). Work on the policy was taken over by the Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in January 2003. A paper entitled Operation Kratos People was circulated among UK police forces, and Operation Kratos became national policy.
Operation Kratos is the collective name for a range of anti-terrorist tactics, specifically:
These plans deal with identifying and confronting suicide attackers. Ideally, the confrontation would be arranged in a secluded location to avoid risk to police officers and members of the public. In extreme situations, the policy recommends that covert police officers fire on suspected suicide attackers without warning, aiming multiple shots at the brain stem to minimise the risk of detonation of a bomb. The Metropolitan Police and other forces also issue Kratos officers with hollow-point bullets, but this has not been incorporated into national guidance.
The decision whether to take such drastic action would be made by a Designated Senior Officer (DSO), an officer of Commander or Deputy Assistant Commissioner rank designated for that incident. The Met had previously used an on-site Designated Senior Officer in policing the Notting Hill Carnival, to decide whether to employ baton rounds should a riot develop, but the situation never arose. To deal with the more severe challenge of suicide bombers, Kratos DSOs would be centrally located, and would be available at all times.
After the bombings of 7 July 2005, an internal email was sent to specialised police units reminding them of the secret tactics for dealing with suicide bombers. Operation Kratos was first described publicly in an article in The Scotsman on 15 July 2005. Between 21 July and 5 August, Designated Senior Officers were alerted on 11 occasions, with Armed Response Units deployed to 6 of these incidents. On one of these occasions, they opened fire.
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Operation Kratos
Operation Kratos was a set of tactics developed by London's Metropolitan Police Service for dealing with suspected suicide bombers, most notably firing shots to the head without warning. The tactics were developed shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks, based in part on consultation with Israeli and Sri Lankan law enforcement agencies on how to deal with suicide bombers. Little was revealed about these tactics until after the mistaken shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes on 22 July 2005, in the wake of the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The term is no longer used by the Metropolitan Police, although similar tactics remain in force.
After the 11 September 2001 attacks, many police agencies worldwide began to seriously consider the possibility of suicide attacks in their own home countries and cities. A Metropolitan Police team led by Barbara Wilding, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations, visited Israel, Sri Lanka and Russia, to learn from their experience of suicide attacks. They also consulted UK government scientists.
Key findings were:
New tactics were developed in the first half of 2002 by Wilding and David Veness, Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations. These were designated Operation Kratos, named after the Greek demi-god Kratos (Ancient Greek: κράτος, lit. 'strength or power'). Work on the policy was taken over by the Terrorism and Allied Matters Committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in January 2003. A paper entitled Operation Kratos People was circulated among UK police forces, and Operation Kratos became national policy.
Operation Kratos is the collective name for a range of anti-terrorist tactics, specifically:
These plans deal with identifying and confronting suicide attackers. Ideally, the confrontation would be arranged in a secluded location to avoid risk to police officers and members of the public. In extreme situations, the policy recommends that covert police officers fire on suspected suicide attackers without warning, aiming multiple shots at the brain stem to minimise the risk of detonation of a bomb. The Metropolitan Police and other forces also issue Kratos officers with hollow-point bullets, but this has not been incorporated into national guidance.
The decision whether to take such drastic action would be made by a Designated Senior Officer (DSO), an officer of Commander or Deputy Assistant Commissioner rank designated for that incident. The Met had previously used an on-site Designated Senior Officer in policing the Notting Hill Carnival, to decide whether to employ baton rounds should a riot develop, but the situation never arose. To deal with the more severe challenge of suicide bombers, Kratos DSOs would be centrally located, and would be available at all times.
After the bombings of 7 July 2005, an internal email was sent to specialised police units reminding them of the secret tactics for dealing with suicide bombers. Operation Kratos was first described publicly in an article in The Scotsman on 15 July 2005. Between 21 July and 5 August, Designated Senior Officers were alerted on 11 occasions, with Armed Response Units deployed to 6 of these incidents. On one of these occasions, they opened fire.